Mend: A Marauders Twist in Fate
by Slytherin Princess Nysa
Summary: On May 2nd, 1998, the Final Battle comes to an end as Harry Potter marches into the Forbidden Forest, but not alone. When several spells suddenly cross that shouldn't, Harry and Hermione wake up in an impressively destructive crater. However, there's a bit of a catch. It isn't 1998 anymore, it's 1971 and it just got a lot more interesting. Sirius/Hermione
1. Into the Woods

_Mend: A Marauders Twist in Fate_

By Slytherin Princess

* * *

 **Chapter One**

* * *

 **May 2nd, 1998**

 **~Hermione Granger~**

It was a beautiful day.

A bright blue sky could be seen through the gaping holes in Hogwarts' roof and puffy white clouds floated lazily across the scape. Hermione walked through the arch that once held the grand mahogany doors of Hogwarts. From a distance she could see the winding branches of the Whomping Willow reached out towards the sun and feel the heat baking the ashes under her feet. Hermione stared out across the courtyard blankly, the collapsed beams and scattered slabs of stone from the walls covered the ground.

Hermione couldn't remember ever seeing Hogwarts so empty. The courtyard, even during classes, was filled with bouncing students- House scarves billowing in the wind as they joked and raced each other. The glow of the sun warmed them as they laughed and cast humourous charms and jinxes against each other. Now it all felt cold and utterly barren.

Although she knew that it wouldn't last long, the silence, soon the bridge would be swarmed by an army of vindictive Death Eaters. All of them led by Voldemort and coming for her best friend. The brown haired witch stood silently as the wind blew past her, mulling through the dirt at her feet. Hermione ran her fingers against the rough stone of the doorframe, her fingertips brushing the cracks and imperfections. It was in ruin now- thousands of years of history destroyed because of a madman.

Sitting on the ground, it brought a rough reality back into her bones. There was a high possibility that soon, she and everyone she knew would be dead. Hermione believed that they would all fight to the death but they were wounded and outnumbered.

Bringing her knees towards her chest, Hermione noticed the torn holes in her jeans and bloodied and scraped skin underneath. It seemed like such an insignificant injury while surrounded by the remains of her home and the bodies of her friends and fellow Order members. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, trying in vain to keep out the unwelcomed warmth of the summer day.

She didn't think the cobblestones should be covered in blood of innocents and she hated that the breeze carried the unmistakably heavy stench of Dark Magic and Unforgivables. Her eyes watered and she expected tears to roll down her face, but nothing came. Hermione stayed quiet, watching nothing in particular.

She blinked and behind her eyes there was the continued movie playing in her head.

 _I know that many of you will want to fight, some of you may even think that to fight is wise, but this is foolish. Give me Harry Potter, do this and none shall be harmed, give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched, give me Harry Potter and you will be rewarded. You have one hour._

And their hour was almost up.

There was a soft shuffle of rubble as footsteps closed in behind her before Neville sat on the steps next to her. He didn't look at her for a long moment before turning his head slightly, "You reckon he'll go?" Neville asked, but Hermione could tell he already knew the answer.

Hermione didn't think he needed to elaborate either. There was little else plaguing her mind. Harry was at the forefront of her head and no matter how much positivity she tried to project, the dread curled in her stomach like a molten ball of lead.

"He's Harry fucking Potter, have you ever known him not to run headfirst into danger for others, risking his life, despite how hopeless the situation may seem?" Hermione said with little bite to her tone. Out of the corner of her eye Hermione could see Neville watching her strangely. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

The Gryffindor dimly grinned and shook his head, "Never heard you curse before."

"I figure time is short for all of us right now, I might as well try it out. Who knows, maybe I have the vocabulary of a sailor and never knew." Hermione could see the blood caked under her fingernails and, with a grimace, tried to chip it away. The dried crimson stayed and Hermione didn't have the will to try any harder to get it out.

"You're going with him." Neville said, leaving no room for question. "'Course you are, the two of you are glued at the hip."

Hermione nodded absentmindedly. There was no point in denying it, especially in front of Neville, he seemed to have a way of knowing when she lied anyways. "Hey, Neville?"

His bushy eyebrows rose into his hairline. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Can you promise me you'll hold down the fort after we go? There's a chance neither of us are coming back from the Forbidden Forest and-" Hermione closed her eyes tightly, suddenly not wanting to talk about what could happen. But this was no time for safety gloves, peering up at him, Hermione whispered, "I wouldn't want anyone else to keep this place together."

Neville was nervous under her persistent gaze, but he gulped and nodded. "I promise."

"You really are brave, as if the collapsing bridge didn't already prove as much." Hermione tried to smile reassuringly towards him but it came out more like a grimace.

"I'll keep everyone together, best I can."

In that moment, she believed him and that brought her some small sense of comfort. The two of them didn't say anything else as they climbed to their unsteady feet. Together they walked back inside the empty entrance hall. The concaves that once held the stone soldiers were barren, their occupants in shattered pieces around the Hogwarts grounds.

Hermione remembered how lively the Great Hall was during her years at Hogwarts, the constant gossip mill running amuck thanks to Laventer at every meal and the small explosions from Seamus Finnigan. Now it was filled with unmoving bodies covered in thin white sheets.

She could see Ron across the room, his ginger head bent down into the shoulder of his older brother. Heart wrenching sobs rocking his body as he clutched onto Fred's jacket with shaking fingers, Molly brushing bloodied hair away from her lifeless child's pale face. George sat next to the cot, looking out helplessly as his family mourned his twin. Hermione watched his wand clatter to the ground as he buried his face in his hands and cried.

Hermione's eyes stung with unshed tears as she looked away and scanned the room for Harry's unruly head of dark curls. Her best friend was standing stiffly with folded white linen held tightly in his hands. Hermione moved to him, slowly, casting a somber glance at Lavender Brown as she passed by. The girl's curly hair was still tied loosely in its blue bow, her petit neck exhibiting the savage tear of Fenrir Greyback's teeth, her face colourless.

Harry jumped when he felt her hand slide onto his shoulder. Hermione took the sheet out of his hands gently, falling to her knees as she respectfully covered her favourite Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Remus' hand was outstretched towards his purple haired mate, barely an inch away from her dainty fingers. It seemed Harry had already covered Tonks and she was grateful for that. Hermione carefully pulled the fabric over his slackened face and, before standing to her full height, placed his hand on top of his wife's morosely.

Harry rubbed angrily at his swollen eyes and sniffed back a sorrowful cry. Hermione steered him away from the Great Hall with little difficulty, side stepping between their fallen. Harry walked with unmeasured and clumsy steps. His hand squeezing hers almost painfully, turning her knuckles white from the pressure. Suddenly, Harry stopped, eyes wide.

"They made me godfather, what's going to happen to Teddy if I- when I-?" Harry shook as he looked at his best friend for answers. She stared back at him, not knowing how to tell him that she didn't know. Because she was _Hermione Granger_ , she was always supposed to know and in this moment she had nothing. "Hermione, I have to go."

"I'll go with you," She said, her voice pleading and soft even to her own ears.

Harry vehemently shook his head. His hands gripping her shoulders. "No, I can't let you do that. You are too important to me-"

Hermione interrupted him sternly. "Wherever you go, I go. That's how we work." She thought about Fred and Remus, about Tonks. About their lives being, in the worst sense of the word, unfinished. "You are all I have, all I've got left and I'm not losing you too."

Harry leaned forward, his forehead falling gently against hers and the twisted metal of his glasses felt cool on her flushed skin. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut and she breathed in deeply, soaking herself in the safety she felt from his scent. Angling his head, Harry kissed her temple.

"I guess we had better come up with a bloody good plan then," Harry thought for a moment. "Do you still have that Time-Turner from third year?"

"Illegally," Hermione narrowed her eyes. "It's dangerous to mess with time, we could get someone killed who would have survived otherwise." Hermione explained. All throughout her third year, McGonagall had been reminding her not to go back further than an hour or two because she could accidentally change important events. And yet here she was, once again, contemplating going back and purposefully changing important events.

"I'm not suggesting we go back hundreds of years or anything, all I'm saying is- bring it with you, just in case." Hermione recognized the desperate look in his eyes. It was the same one he had when they thought Sirius would be executed for a crime he didn't commit.

A determined glint came off the greens of his eyes and Hermione found herself nodding. There was no arguing with him when it came to her safety and she knew it, biting her lip, Hermione repeated, "Just in case."

They didn't say goodbye to anyone. There didn't seem to be anything they could say that would make it okay for the people who cared about them to see them go, so many had died in the war and they were walking to almost certain doom. Hermione didn't want to see the sadness grow behind Ron's eyes as he tried to decide between staying with his grieving family and going with his best friends into the fray.

Avoiding the groups of people, Harry and Hermione took the steps two at a time towards Hermione's sanctuary. The books were scattered around the ground and the floor to ceiling windows were shattered on the hardwood floor. The image was the final nail in her coffin, she couldn't go back to pretending like everything was okay after this. If they survived the final battle, Hermione wondered if she could ever be able to claim sanity again.

Once they had collected the Time-Turner from its hiding spot in the restricted section of the library, Hermione fastened the chain securely around her neck and averted her eyes from the wreckage around her as they walked back towards the courtyard. She noticed Harry holding onto the golden snitch Dumbledore had left him, fingers curled tightly around the remanence of his childhood. Hermione unconsciously walked closer to him.

The Forbidden Forest was eerily quiet, no living creature dared to make a sound as the two wizards walked hand-in-hand. The crunch of leaves and thin branches underneath the soles of their shoes echoed around Hermione's head and she tried to pretend like they were walking towards something better than a demented group of Death Eaters.

When they could no longer see the towers of Hogwarts, Harry tugged her hand into a stop. Harry's face was tense with worry and he took several deep breaths into his lungs before he could speak. "Wait here for a few minutes before you follow."

"And be ready to apparate, I know." Hermione reassured him. "I'm right behind you."

"I'll see you soon then, 'Mione."

Harry disappeared in the underbrush without a sound and Hermione snuck behind him a few moments later. There was a hum of energy in the air, dark and ominous, leaving her with goosebumps along her arms. Hermione ducked lowly, the soft ground almost touching her knees, as she watched her best friend linger at the edge of the clearing.

"I thought he would come," whispered a ghostly voice. The dark figure floated above the ground, pacing in front of the large crowd, pale skin stark against the black robes of his Death Eater army. Voldemort twisted his wand almost anxiously in his thin hands.

Next to him, Bellatrix's wild hair was knotted and piled high on her head, loose curls wavering in the breeze as she shook her head. Her body was angled almost like a puppet as she searched for her Lord's prey in between the trees. Her face breaking in a maniacal grin as she spotted the lone figure as it exited out of the foliage.

Hermione gripped her wand tightly and whispered prayers to any diety who would listen, the tips of her fingers going numb. She watched Hagrid struggle against the ropes and heavy chairs around his throat and arms, calling out for Harry to leave while Rowle and two other masked Death Eaters restrained him.

"Harry Potter," Tom Riddle's face split in a horrifying smile as he stepped closer to Harry with a flourish of his cloak. Hermione crept closer as Voldemort rose his wand with inapt calmness. "The Boy Who Lived, come to die."

She saw his thin lips moving as he uttered the words, reptilian eyes alight with glee. Not being able to wait another second while Harry was in danger, Hermione burst out of hiding behind the trunk of a large tree, "Harry!"

Harry's head snapped towards her as Hermione closed the distance between them and seized his arm in a deathly grip. She closed her eyes and thought of the only place that still felt safe. Hermione felt her best friend hug her tautly as he prepared to apparate away. There was shouting as the feeling of magic wrapped around them, the familiarity of being warped taking over. Hermione heard the rushing steps of Bellatrix as the madwoman tried to reach them.

Before they could fully disappear there was an anguished scream, " _Avada Kedavra_!"

It all happened in a single moment. Voldemort's spell flew across the glade, green sparks electrocuting the air, leaving behind the pungent scent of death. Her wide, brown eyes tracked the Unforgivable as it travelled towards her, the curse striking her chest. Hermione waited for the pain and darkness to ascend over her but it never came. The Time-Turner glowed a sickly bottle green as it absorbed the magic.

Hermione's eyes widened in horror as the white apparition smoke faded into a mint colour. Suddenly she felt the harsh pull away from the ground, holding onto Harry, Hermione screamed. Burning heat raced through her body- searing at her skin.

Hermione's back hit the ground with a resonating _thump_ , white-hot pain flaring throughout her body. She cried out pitifully as the constant ache set in her bones. Her arms and legs spasmed and she bit down on her lip until the copper taste of blood filled her mouth.

Patting down her chest to make sure she hadn't lost a limb, she tried to blink her eyes open but she was met with nothing but blankness. There was nothing. It was all dark blurs bleeding away her vision. Hermione's hand blindly reached out towards Harry desperately, panic finally seceding when she felt the rough fabric of his coat snag on her fingers.

"Harry…" Her voice was scratched and Hermione barely recognized it as hers.

Hermione waited for another curse to hit her or, hopefully, the caring hands of Madam Pomfrey but neither came. There was just the wet soil soaking her jumper and the quiet songs of birds floating above her. She listened intently, not willing to let her guard down, but the heaviness in her head grew worse and soon Hermione couldn't resist the tug of unconsciousness.

* * *

 **July 13th, 1971**

 **~Minerva McGonagall~**

The weather was rubbish in the Highlands of Scotland. Especially for the middle of July, there wasn't a sunny day all week. Thick, smokey grey clouds hid the setting sun, fat drops of rain threatening to fall and drown out the milling of Professors and cast a shadow over the castle grounds. It dampened the Headmistress's mood even further than the mounds of paperwork cluttering her desk were already doing so.

The upcoming school year would start in a few short weeks and Minerva felt woefully unprepared for the new students and returning older years that were out to cause trouble. Even after half a dozen years at the helm of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva always felt nervous when the first of September closed in. There were requisition forms to be sent out and a charmed quill writing a letter to each student that would attend. Minerva watched as the ink bled into the elegant swirls of her signature.

A loud crack of thunder made her jump slightly in her cushioned seat and spilling her brass inkwell on the parchment. The rain fell in heavy waves now, washing the grim off of her windows. With a scowl, McGonagall waved her wand over the mess and cast a silent Scourgify. The ink disappeared away from the parchment and Minerva sighed into her hands.

There was another rumble of electricity from the sky but this time it was accompanied with the unmistakable scent of dark magic wafting in the air. Covering her nose with her robe sleeves, Minerva peered outside her window, searching for the cause of the foul odor. It was faint but her advanced animagus senses could still smell it from her office. Hurrying down the stairs, Minerva held her wand at the ready as she walked faster into the dense forest.

There were wards up all around Hogwarts to prevent apparation and prevent certain types of people from entering unnoticed onto the castle grounds. And yet, the further she walked into the Forbidden Forest, the heavier the scent became.

When she found the source of the magic her heart sank. There was a deep scorched crater in the ground, burning away the branches and leaves surrounding it. In the center of the magic emitting, fiery pit were two small figures, huddled together.

A quick wave of her fir send a green spark in the air, signaling the little staff at Hogwarts to her whereabouts. She studied the children. A boy and a girl.

Their clothes were torn, covered in crusted blood and far too large for them. Practically swallowing their tiny bodies whole in fabric. The girls face was round and hidden under a mane of brown curls, a burned line around her neck. Her petite hand held onto the sleeve of the boy's jacket loosely. He had raven coloured hair that dropped over his closed eyes and a pair of broken glasses hanging away from his face.

Minerve didn't recognize either of them from her students- with their strange clothing and wide range of injuries. However, she could smell the different magical energies around them. Some that she couldn't place at all.

Hurried footsteps drew Minerva's attention away from the children and she narrowed her eyes before recognizing the red dress of Madam Pomfrey. Relaxing, she lowered her wand.

"Oh, Merlin's beard! What happened to them?" Poppy stared down at the children with an expression of horror colouring her face. Her blue eyes wide as she stepped towards them, shoes skidding against the dry grass. When the mediwitch held out her hand to stop the Headmistress, Minerva looked at her questioningly.

"I don't know but we had better hurry!" Minerva took a step towards the girl, preparing to lift her in her arms tenderly.

"We had better get these two to the hospital wing carefully, we don't know how bad their injuries are," Minerva nodded and levitated the girl slowly, waiting for Poppy to do the same with the little boy before making the journey back to the castle.

They headed straight to the hospital, quickly scurrying through the empty hallways and flying up the stairs, glad to not be stopped by any of the other staff. When they reached the hospital, both witches gently lowered the children on the nearest beds.

Madam Pomfrey swallowed back her disgust as she waved her wand to check their condition and began to work. The smell of dittany was strong and unpleasant and Minerva scrunched up her nose in distaste.

" _Anapneo_ ," Poppy murmured, standing above the children. The little girl took a deep breath and sighed as she relaxed into the mattress. Poppy felt the girls temple for a temperature and continued swishing her wand between them. " _Tergeo_."

* * *

 **July 14th, 1971**

 **~Hermione Granger~**

Hermione's eyes fluttered open, sun rays shining into her eyes. Cringing away from the light, she glanced around the familiar hospital wing. She recognized the lumpiness of the bed and she could smell the Skele-Gro floating in the air. Hermione couldn't remember anyone carrying them out of the Forbidden Forest, but looking around the brightly lantered hospital something felt very wrong. The last time she had been in the hospital it had been covered in wounded and the stench of potions and spells was thick enough to make her eyes water.

But as she looked around now, all Hermione saw were the empty cots littering the room, none of them being put into use. There were no moans of pain, no hurried steps as potions were carried between patients and no violent stench of blood.

Jolting out of the bed, Hermione felt a little dizzy as she looked around for Harry. He had to be there. If he wasn't then- she refused to think what it would mean if he wasn't laying in the hospital next to her. Hermione felt too weak to get out of the bed fully but her eyes were alert and searching as she forced herself to sit up, looking through the pristine covers.

Finally her chocolate eyes landed on a small body twisting on the bed next to hers. Short legs kicked at the wool blankets as the small body twisted and turned in his sleep. A groan escaped the form and Hermione drew closer on instinct.

When she pulled away the fabric from his face, Hermione gasped, loud enough to draw attention to herself. Harry was there but he wasn't _Harry_. In the traditional sense he was all there. Unruly dark hair, angry scar on his forehead- granted more faded than she had ever seen it, and a slight frown on his mouth even as he slept. Except it wasn't the eighteen year old soldier that dozed away in front of her, it was an eleven year old child. Harry looked exactly like she remembered him the first time they met.

With the sudden and unexpected realization that her best friend had somehow been reverted to a First Year again, Hermione desperately tried to find her wand or a mirror. Anything that could provide her with a reflection, really. Before she could find either she spotted the well dressed witch in the doorway, staring at her imploringly.

Sighing in relief, Hermione sat back against the metal headboard of her bed. She felt the calming presence from her favourite Transfiguration professor. "Professor McGonagall! Thank Circe you're here, what's happening?"

"I was hoping you could tell me that, Miss..?" Worry sunk into the young girl in the hospital bed and she shook her head in confusion.

When she didn't feel the weight around her neck, Hermione reached up to grasp the Time-Turner in her chubby hands. Horrified when she found nothing but air in its place and felt the sharp sting as her fingers touched a fresh burn around her throat, she pulled her hand away.

"Granger. Hermione Granger." She replied, eyes downcast.

"Miss Granger, I'm sure you understand my uncertainty. You appeared out of thin air, injured and we had to rush you both here." Minerva furrowed her brows as she continued to look at Hermione. "Now I realize you know who I am but I don't recall ever meeting you before."

"Yes, Professor. I do believe that Harry and I have made quite a mess of things." Hermione started quietly, not wanting to wake the sleeping boy next to her with her hysterically rising voice. Godric knew how long it had been since he could sleep in an actual bed without worrying about Death Eaters.

"Miss Granger," Her former Transfiguration Professor pressed lightly.

"We were fighting Voldemort. In May of 1998." Minerva looked at her quizzically and Hermione felt her eyes water. "We were in the Forbidden Forest and I tried to apparate us away but the Killing Curse hit my Time-Turner and-" She choked on a wayward sob before she could stop herself. "Then I woke up here."

"Voldemort is only a story to scare children," She said with a knowing look on her face. McGonagall rubbed the bridge of her nose while she mulled over the story. "Am I right to assume that you are not an eleven year old?"

"Yes, ma'am." Hermione shook her head.

"We found this next to the two of you," Minerva pulled a broken snitch out of a pocket in her robes. The ball had a deep gash melted towards the hallow center. On the surviving side there was text that Hermione could barely read, she made out the words ' _I open at the close_ ' in neat script. "Do you know what it means?"

Shaking her head, Hermione handed the Quidditch memorabilia back. "No, it was a gift to Harry." _Left in Dumbledore's will_ , she added mentally.

Harry stirred and Hermione watched him as he carefully pushed himself on his elbows, gaping at his fingers and miniature hands in the process. When his eyes finally found hers, he blinked several times, taking in the eleven year old girl he had met so long ago.

Harry gaped at his best friend,"I'm either dreaming or the afterlife is a lot weirder than I was led to believe and I want to go back."

"I do believe a more accurate explanation of your situation would be that you traveled back in time and find yourself in a younger version of yourself," McGonagall offered the confused child as Harry tried to assess the situation properly.

"How far back have we gone?" Hermione asked quietly, not entirely sure she wanted to know but needing the information anyways.

"Twenty-seven years. Give or take a couple of months." Hermione and Harry exchanged worried looks before glancing back at Professor McGonagall. Harry collapsed back onto the mattress with a resigning sigh. "It is currently July of 1971."

Hermione remembered Harry talking about the years the Marauders and Lily had attended Hogwarts, they had all started in September of 1971. Hermione could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to accept what was happening, she could feel a low buzz of excitement from him. Harry would see his parents, Sirius and Remus again. Alive and well.

Something came to her attention then, chewing on her lip, Hermione frowned. "Professor, we have nowhere to go. Neither of us are born yet and won't be for almost nine years." Harry looked over at her, his green eyes widening at the same realization.

"I had a brother, Robert, his children would be your age about now. I suppose you could take their place and stay here with me, I have a contact in the Ministry that can resolve the problem of identification and the such." At their questioning looks McGonagall waved a dismissive hand. "Robert and his family perished several years ago."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you, Professor." Hermione smiled gratefully. Minerva McGonagall had always been a good person in Hermione's time, but it seemed she was extraordinarily kind even before. Which shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.

"You cannot call me 'Professor', you're my niece and nephew now. It's Aunt Minerva to both of you." Their surrogate aunt said with a kind smile curling her lips. "You'll have to go by the name McGonagall, of course."

"Harry and Hermione McGonagall, we finally get to be siblings legally." Harry said with a teasing smile playing on his face as he continued to try and adjust. Harry had always been her brother, even if they didn't share a last name until this bizarre moment.

After some deliberation they decided several characteristic changes were necessary to make sure that James and everyone else wouldn't notice the family resemblance. Hermione squeezed Harry's hand as their aunt waited patiently for him to be ready.

Harry touched his black hair lovingly for a second before bowing gently to expose his head to Minerva's wand, the dark strands turning a honey-caramel shade that matched Hermione's. He pulled at the locks before pushing them away from his face and dropping back into the pillow with a huff. His sister tried not to close her eyes as the wand pointed towards her. She felt a warm tingling in her iris' as she rubbed at them.

The older witch conjured a mirror in her hands and held it out to her niece. Tentatively, Hermione plucked the glass out of her hands and turned it towards herself. She looked the same as she had in her First Year. Untamable hair that sprung every which way, olive skin and wide eyes. However, now they weren't a soft brown but a mesmerizing deep green, just like Harry's.

"I'll leave you two to become adjusted," Minerva left the mirror in her hands as she smiled at them gently. Turning from the room she paused in the doorway. "I will arrange for you to have a separate common room for more privacy."

Hermione was thankful for that. After everything that had happened in their lives, between the war and the year of Horcrux hunting, nightmares were something that was expected. It wouldn't be good for anyone to have them separated and screaming in terror.

When she was gone, Hermione left her bed for the warmth and safety of her brothers. Harry still had the same scent, treacle tart and broom wax. An odd combination that somehow fit him better than anything else. Before she could drift away into sleep, she felt him stiffen.

"Do you think that thing is gone from inside my head?" Harry whispered into her hair. He continued to speak without giving her the chance to answer. "I think that Voldemort fulfilled the prophecy. _Neither can live while the other survives_. I know I'm alive and so is he, but I feel different, lighter. Like this weight is gone from my shoulders."

"I hope you're right," Hermione said quietly. Her mind very much preoccupied by the idea of living her life in the 1970's.

"Oh, bloody hell!" Harry snapped.

"What?" She reached for her wand, clearly expecting a threat. "What's wrong?"

"We have to repeat all of Hogwarts again." He cried in clear dismay. Which only made Hermione laugh into his chest as she closed her eyes and relaxed against him.

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **Ben Barnes as Sirius, Karen Gillan as Lily, Andrew Garfield as Remus, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James and Jamie Bell as Peter. Look them up and tell me they don't fit perfectly in a Marauders show.**


	2. Welcome to 1971

**Chapter Two**

* * *

 **August 20th, 1971**

 **~Harry McGonagall~**

After a month of research and piles of books stacked high on their coffee table, they had nothing to show for it. All except the constant craving for ridiculous amounts of caffeine at all hours of the day and a twitch of irritation under Hermione's left eye. Something that, in the past, would have had Harry laughing at her constant need for answers and physical reaction to not knowing everything. Now it was the only thing he could hold onto that left his sanity at least partially intact, the nostalgia of Hermione's studious personality.

Hermione was punishing herself because she couldn't find the answer to what had happened or how to reverse it before it was too late. Watching Hermione barate herself made Harry feel all the more guilty. His best friend -his sister- was worrying herself sick trying to find a solution to their time problem while Harry was more apprehensive of the incoming school year. Of all the people that would be arriving in less than two weeks.

Harry felt selfish. He wasn't rushing to get back to their time like she was. There was hardly anyone to go back to in 1998. He'd broken up with Ginny before they had left for the Horcrux hunt months earlier, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had disappeared with Dudley at the start of the war and he had no other living family to speak of. Just friends who were barely holding themselves together and Teddy.

In her mind, Hermione still had hope that returning to their time could mean winning the war and finding her parents. Although Harry knew she wasn't certain that there was anyway to reverse the _Obliviate_ that sent them away, Harry couldn't imagine her not trying.

He could vividly remember nights in the Forest of Dean, huddled together in the magical tent, Hermione curled up outside while she kept watch with a book of memory spells in her lap. Harry would silently cast a warming charm over her before turning in for a restless night, pretending like he couldn't hear her cry helplessly when she hit another dead end. All he wanted was to comfort her but he knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better.

Harry sat, cocooned into the warm chocolate coloured couch in their shared common room. McGonagall had kept her word- they had a cozy, flat-like space buried behind a corridor tapestry. There was a living room, with earthy browns and fresh greens, the offset kitchenette with traditional muggle black and white tiles on the floor and a looping staircase that led to their bedrooms and a shared bathroom. It was comfortable and felt safe.

"There's nothing!" Hermione gave a pained groan as she slammed the thick pages shut. Running her fingers down the spine almost apologetically, she stared at Harry. "I've looked through dozens of books and all I have is more questions. There's only untested theories about prolonged time travel by some bonkers author and pure fiction."

"You mean like how did we go back in time almost thirty years, how we're in our eleven year old bodies again," Harry held up his fingers as he listed. His eyes watching the roaring fire in the hearth in concentration. "How McGonagall is Headmistress two decades before she's supposed to be and how we're now her legal niece and nephew?"

Glaring at him, the little girl huffed, "Those would be a start."

Harry noticed the way she wrung her fingers anxiously and the deep bags under her green eyes, like she hadn't slept since their stay in the hospital. With the help of sleep draughts that Harry was sure Madam Pomfrey slipped into their breakfast tea during their stay. A forgotten croissant was pushed away from her, pieces flaked and picked off. They had spent enough of their lives together for him to recognize the signs of her exhaustion.

"You should eat something," Harry nodded at the pastry with hopeful eyes. Hermione waved him away as she reached for another book instead. Movements sluggish and shaken as she recoiled from the small plate he tried to place in her hands. "Please, 'Mione."

"Don't call me that," she snapped suddenly. Her eyes widening when she faced his shocked expression. Pulling at a loose thread in her sweater, Hermione softly said, "I mean- I'm sorry, just, don't call me that anymore. It makes me upset."

Chewing on his lip, Harry smiled reassuringly towards her. He and Ron had started calling her 'Mione during their early years in Hogwarts and it had caught on with their friends and family. Neville, Ginny and the rest of the Weasley's. People they may never see again, at least not in the way they knew them in 1998. He could understand why she wouldn't want to be reminded of the life they left behind.

Harry made a mental note to avoid calling her by the painful nickname.

"How are you holding up with all of this?" She asked. Her mothering instinct kicking in. "I can't imagine how hard this must all be for you. Knowing that your parents haven't-" She paused, looking at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I haven't been able to not think about it. I get to meet them and talk to them. I can play Quidditch with my dad and Sirius, I can go to Hogsmeade with Remus and my mum." Eyes sparkling as he thought about all the things that were possible for him. "This time they're real and not just a production of the Mirror of Erised."

Hermione nodded with understanding before she looked at him with realization. Shaking her head, she pushed aside the volumes. "You aren't thinking about changing the future to prevent everything that's going to happen, are you?"

Standing up from the couch in a rush, Harry tried to keep his voice down. "Of course I am! How could I not be? We may not want to admit this but we were losing the war, Hermione. Half of wizarding Britain was in ruin, the demented tattoo artist was having a field day killing Hogwarts students by the dozens and everyone we care about was gone."

"You want to meddle in time? What if we end up erasing ourselves from the future or we make it worse? We could create a paradox that swallows up our entire existence." Jumping up from her own seat, Hermione waited for Harry to deny her accusation but when he didn't, Hermione pulled his pacing body to a stop. "Running into action without thinking all the possibilities through is what got us in this mess in the first place!"

"No, Voldemort is what got us here. Now we have a chance to _save my parents_ and my godfather, to destroy his horcruxes and prevent his rise to higher power altogether." Harry looked at her with renewed hope, something she hadn't seen on his face in a very long time.

"We change things, then what? Where do we even start? Who do we tell about the future?" Hermione asked before softly grimacing. "What if we get erased?"

"It's a risk we have to take, too many lives are at stake not to try." Hermione nodded her agreement but inside she was screaming. She couldn't lose her only family, not Harry.

"It's insane." Hermione whispered.

"So is the entire wizarding world." Harry tried to reason with the panicking girl. "We have dragons, invisibility cloaks, merpeople, instant teleportation, and a slew of barmy things that could kill us in this very school."

A knock on their door broke them away from the conversation with a start. It was too dangerous to talk about things like Voldemort and the future when someone could overhear them. Harry mentally chastised himself for not putting a stronger silencing charm on their door. Picking her wand off the table, Hermione followed behind Harry as he headed to the door. A disarming spell at the tip of her tongue.

She visibly relaxed when the door swung open to reveal Minerva.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" The Headmistress asked with her eyebrows curiously raised. "I apologize for not stopping by sooner this week, I've been busy preparing for the new school year. So many letters to send and staff to oversee."

"Not at all," Harry lied almost convincingly. "What can we do for you Professor?" At McGonagall's stern look, Harry blanched and corrected himself quickly. "Aunt Minerva."

Harry felt an odd sense of relief that she still had the same ability to scare him with a single look that she did when he was actually an eleven year old in the future. Harry stepped aside from the doorframe and Minerva swept inside the room, scrutinizing eyes following the scattered papers and opened treatises.

"I see you've been looking into your situation more in depth." she said, clearly amused by the overwhelming amount of text. "Find anything interesting?"

"I'm afraid there's been little success," Hermione conceded.

"It has been brought to my attention that you need school supplies for the coming year, I thought perhaps that the three of us could take a trip to Diagon Alley today." Their aunt offered kindly. Eying the wand hanging loosely between Hermione's fingers, she smiled. "We aren't to make a stop at Ollivanders then?"

"Actually, I need to get a new wand. I technically stole this one." Harry looked down at Draco's wand and quickly looked away to avoid the memories that came with Malfoy Manor. Subconsciously he glanced at the unblemished skin of Hermione's inner arm, trying to find the disgusting slur and relaxing when he saw nothing.

After Minerva practically threatened to glue their mouths shut if they continued to argue with her, it was decided that she would be paying for everything they needed. Together the three of them walked through the Leaky Cauldron, paying as little attention to people as possible. The two children distracted by the sight before them. Diagon Alley was more colourful and lively than Harry remembered ever seeing it. Bright shoppe signs hanging over the doors, announcing themselves as a place to buy sets of quills or textbooks for Hogwarts classes.

Young First Year students hung onto their parents' hands as they walked quickly between stores, taking in the view with large eyes. They all pointed at merchandise windowsills and dragged laughing parents to look at baubles and trinkets.

Harry remembered the first time he had been here, with Hagrid, to collect his supplies after his eleventh birthday. It was so long ago in his mind that everything seemed like a dream, hanging in the back of his head. Hogwarts and being away from the Dursleys for months were the most important things to him then. Now he knew better than to let himself be wrapped up in the beauty of magic. Because there was a darkness coming and Harry was determined to stop it this time around, before it spread too far.

They moved from shop to shop, picking up pewter cauldrons, telescopes, glass phials and every book on the list. Much to Minerva's surprise, Hermione flipped through the pages to make sure there weren't any drastic differences from the ones she had memorized. Harry just rolled his eyes and told her that it was, in fact, like that every time they went into Diagon Alley together.

Their aunt was beyond pleased to know that they were both talented in school subjects, Hermione more so than her brother, and had an interest in continuing their studies of choice. Harry as an auror and Hermione as a professor.

Aunt Minerva left them to be sized for their robes, needing to take care of some Headmistress business or other, equally as important and secretive of a task. Harry waved to his best friend as they were separated into a boys and girls section of the fitting room. Which still didn't make any sense to Harry since they were getting the exact same robes.

Harry sighed while Madam Malkin's assistant pinched and pinned the black clothes over his legs. Harry ran his hands through his hair, not able to hold his eyes over his own reflection for too long. He missed his dark hair, it had always felt like a piece of his father, and it was a bit on the frightening side to see oneself as a child again.

"Don't touch that!" A woman's screech came from the front door.

Harry's head snapped up, afraid that he had accidentally pushed something over in his distracted state. In the mirror he saw a pinch faced mother and her son walking through the door. It took him a moment to realize why he had been so alert when he heard the voice.

Her onyx hair flowed freely down her shoulders, a slight curl at the end, several tendrils having turned grey. She wore expensive robes, glinting jewelry caught his attention before he continued to study Walburga Black. She didn't have as many wrinkles or anger spots on her face as the painting in 12 Grimmauld Place did, although her horrid shrieking was still as loud and unpleasant. At least this time she wasn't going on about Pureblood superiority.

Harry almost didn't notice the short boy standing by his mother's side, hands clasped tightly in front of him as he avoided looking at anything that wasn't his shoes. A black fringe covered his forehead and he blew it lightly out of his eyes. Harry stared at his godfather, an eleven year old boy who looked _scared_ of his mother. He had a round face, still slightly pudgy but Harry knew he would outgrow it. His midnight coloured hair was unnervingly like the man Harry remembered, he wondered if Sirius just enjoyed the small rebellions.

Sirius had talked about Walburga a handful of times while hiding out in Grimmauld Place, never once calling her his mother and right now, Harry understood exactly why. Walburga was not a kind mother, she didn't move to comfort her jittered child or stop glaring at him as he quietly apologized for touching a colourful vase.

"Wait for Madam Malkin right there-" Walburga pointed at an ottoman next to the platform Harry stood on. "And don't cause any trouble or else." She pushed him in the direction of the seat and Sirius followed without a word.

When his mother disappeared through the door, presumably to find Orion and Regulus or do some shopping of her own without her eldest eldest, Harry turned to his future godfather. It was so strange to see the haunted man Harry knew in his teens as a young boy, not troubled by the deaths of his best friend and imprisonment in Azkaban. Even after the lashing from his mother, he looked more alive than Harry ever remembered seeing him.

Harry held out his hand as he whispered, "Hello, I'm Harry McGonagall."

"Sirius Black," The boy shook his hand, a small smile curling his lip, and Harry noticed the redness on the back of his fingers. Likely from a hit with his mother's purse. "McGonagall like the Headmistress of Hogwarts? Are you a First Year too?"

Harry nodded, wondering if there was a scale of oddity for his life and where this encounter would rank. "She's my aunt. What House do you think you'll be sorted in?" Harry asked with a hidden smile.

Sirius looked bashful, but a frown twisted his face. "I'll be sorted into Slytherin. Where do you think you'll go?"

"Gryffindor," Harry tried not to give away anything as he continued to smile at his godfather."Why do you think you'll end up in Slytherin?"

"Family tradition," he said.

They lapsed into a pregnant silence and Harry couldn't remember a time when he didn't have something to say to Sirius, so when the silence grew too thick he jumped to the first subject to cross his mind. "Did you hear that the Bulgarian team is trying to make it to the World Cup?"

Sirius snorted, tense shoulders dropping, "Ruddy job they've been doing this season. No chance for them to even see the World Championship Cup, let alone win it."

He relaxed a little when Sirius did. They talked about Quidditch for a while, who their favorite players were, Harry kept up as best as he could. Trying to keep Sirius talking. It had been so long since he was able to talk to him, an even longer time since he had passed, and now it would never happen. The Department of Mysteries and the Veil.

"Are you almost done?" Hermione called out from behind him, a large bundle of clothes in her thin arms. When she spotted the second boy, her face twisted in confusion before she identified the dark head of Sirius. "Oh, hello there."

Harry watched his godfather sweetly smile and wave at the petite girl, thinking quickly he introduced the two of them. "Sirius, this is my twin sister, Hermione."

"It's nice to meet you," Hermione held out her hand towards him, trying to balance the clothes in the other.

The black haired boy shook her hand gently, before pulling it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles and repeated her sentiment. Harry was well on his way to being shocked, the Sirius in their time was sarcastic and crass. The boy he had met today was quiet and talked back politely. Harry wondered if that would change once he met James or if it was hidden inside.

"Do you have any siblings?" Hermione asked politely. Even though both she and Harry knew that he did, this time around they would make sure that Sirius had the chance to protect his brother from the Dark Lord. Harry wondered if there was something he could do to create his own protection over the Black brothers.

"I do, his name is Regulus, he's a year younger than me so he won't be at Hogwarts until next year." Sirius grinned as he thought about his younger brother and Harry's mind solidified in his promise to keep Regulus safe in anyway.

"Does he like Quidditch?" Harry asked, his tone making it clear that it was a deal breaker.

Sirius shrugged. "Not really, he loves flying and watching though. Sometimes I think that when he gets on a broom he'll never come back down." His voice was tinged with affection.

Hermione's brows scrunched up and Harry recognized it as her thoughtful expression. Her face lit up and Sirius smiled back sheepishly. "So you're the Quidditch star and he's your number one fan?"

His godfather nodded quickly before inclining his head to the side, blinking his eyes before speaking clearly. "I don't like Quidditch."

Harry blanched. He remembered talking to his Sirius about his time on the Gryffindor Quidditch team with his dad, it was one of the things that still made Sirius smile after his time in Azkaban. "What?!" He gasped.

Sirius laughed, throwing his head back freely, "I'm only joking. I love it. I'm planning on trying out for my House team as soon as I'm able."

Harry breathed out and waved his hand frantically in front of his face soundlessly. Hermione stared at him oddly then turned back to Sirius with a playful scowl. "Way to go, you almost gave my brother a heart condition."

"Apologies, mate." Sirius clamped his hand over Harry's shoulder in a show of comfort. The boy turned towards the curly haired girl, his eyes crinkling as he smiled at her. "Hermione, do you like flying too?"

Harry snorted, rolling his green eyes, "She's terrified of brooms."

"I am not scared of brooms! I'm scared of falling hundred of meters to my death!" Hermione stomped her foot childishly, turning her nose up at her brother. "And if I had to, I fly just fine, thank you very much."

Harry remembered the Room of Requirement, fiendfyre swallowing up piles of forgotten and unused things. His ears rung for a moment as he pictured Malfoy's outstretched hand as Harry swooped down on his broom to grab him. Hermione had been there too, flying between the roaring flames with elegance.

Harry looked at her for a quick second before switching away from his line of thought. "She doesn't even like _watching_ Quidditch."

"That's blasphemy." Sirius stared at her in horror that Harry could tell was authentic.

"My bad, boys, didn't know Quidditch was a requirement to attend Hogwarts." Hermione finally dropped her new clothes on the counter before checking the time on her muggle watch. Sirius looked at her wrist curiously, waiting for something magical to happen.

"Bloody well should be." Harry said.

"You're both mental, chasing balls around on cleaning supplies." A vibrant crimson flush covered her cheeks as she insulted their favourite sport.

Sirius' jaw dropped as he continued to stare at the shorter girl. "You did not just say that."

"You're no sister of mine." Harry deadpanned.

When Walburga poked around the corner, Hermione stiffened. She was usually the target for the paintings mad ravings and her eyes looked at her forearm with barely concealed anger. Thankfully Sirius didn't notice the way Hermione's attention snapped away from them, as he was busy putting his old robe back on.

Walburga inclined her head towards her son and gave a sharp jerk, sighing Sirius started picking up the rest of his things while his mother paid."Bye Harry, bye Mya."

"Mya?" She asked in confusion. "Did you forget my name?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and folded his cloak over his arm. Looking embarrassed, he turned back to Harry and the surprised girl next to him. "Hermione is too long and friends give each other nicknames. Don't they?"

Although he didn't say it, both Harry and Hermione could read between the lines of what he was saying. Sirius was nervous about making friends at Hogwarts and this was his way of trying. "I like it. I suppose I had better think of one for you as well."

When he was gone, Harry grinned, "That answers my question on who decided to give all the Marauders codenames."

"Ten galleons says he also thought of ' _Marauders_ '."

* * *

 _To Be Continued..._

* * *

 **Please review! It gives me the will to write. Listen to the song _'Leave a Light On'_ by Tom Walker.**

 **My best friend showed her English Lit professor my account and I don't know how to feel now that she's following me.**


	3. The Sorting Hat

**Chapter Three**

* * *

 **September 1st, 1971**

 **~James Potter~**

The Hogwarts Express was intimidating. A great big steaming machine that would travel away from his home and his parents. James had wanted to throw a temper tantrum and stay home with him mum and dad but as soon as his father mentioned Quidditch, the child was more than just excited for Hogwarts. Until his mother kindly pointed out that he couldn't try out for his house team until he was a Second Year. That was certainly a damper on his good mood.

By the time his nerves were livewires, leaving him on edge, they had popped into the platform and there was no going back.

"Mother?" Euphemia patted down her son's wild hair as he glanced up at her with misty hazel eyes. Fleamont pushed James' trunk towards the compartment ahead of them.

His mother looked at him and smiled sweetly, "Yes, my darling?"

James looked at her innocently. "Is it true that Headmistress McGonagall has a special jinx on brooms so they can't be flown outside of the Quidditch pitch?"

"Yes, she does." Euphemia replied curtly. James' face fell and his mother pushed down the feeling to comfort him. "You, James Charlus Potter, had better behave yourself. I don't want to receive any letters about you running amok."

The young child sighed heavily, "Yes, mum."

"That's my angel," She kissed the top of his head, watching in amusement as a bright blush of embarrassment coloured James' cheeks.

On the opposite end of the station, Fleamont sidestepped away from a couple who were hugging their crying son goodbye. The child looked about James' size and age but the elder Potter noticed the thin scars along the boys face and lower jaw, a thin mark over the bridge of his nose that dipped into his left cheek. His parents held onto him tightly and when they pulled away Fleamont saw the boy's green, red rimmed eyes.

"Dad! Did you load my trunk?" James asked with an obvious wink, hoping his father knew what he meant.

Fleamont winked back, joining in on his sons conspiracy. Although he hadn't actually packed James' fastest broom in the trunk, he had left him a bit of a surprise that his mother wouldn't approve of either way. A family heirloom.

"That I did, mate. Now let's get you onboard before you end up having to sit with Slytherins." Fleamont said with a faux shiver.

His mother whacked Fleamonts shoulder with her purse and scowled. Everyone knew that Euphemia Potter was a Slytherin and James decided that his father had a deathwish, talking badly about his mother's house.

James tightly hugged both of his parents goodbye, trying not to cry because he was a big boy and he refused to start his first day among his Hogwarts peers while crying. His mother, on the other hand, had absolutely no quarrel and cried as she waved. He nervously glanced back at his parents several times while he continued to walk towards the train. James climbed the stairs into the express and walked the hallway, looking for an empty compartment where he could sleep for the entire trip.

James scoffed when a Hufflepuff girl sat against a door, legs outstretched and a book in her lap, and had to skip over her legs. There was only one compartment in the first car that wasn't filled with shouting teenagers or crying children.

Inside there was a petite redhead with her nose buried in the pages of a leatherbound book and a black haired boy who glared at James the second he knocked on the sliding door. The girl didn't seem to notice at first but her companion sneered rudely in his direction.

"Can I sit?" James indicated to the barren set across from the pair. The girl pulled her face out of the volume before nodding. She had the most beautiful bottle green eyes and her hair was long and slightly curling but fiery red. She reminded James of mythical mermaids.

"What's your name then?" Snapped the boy next to her.

"James Potter, and you are?" He tried to stay polite in front of the pretty girl who sat across from him. James didn't want to be mean to her friend unless the greasy haired boy kept being rude to him then all bets were off.

She pointed to herself and then her friend. Introducing both of them with a smile. "I'm Lily Evans and this is Severus Snape."

"It's nice to meet you," he smiled. Although in all honesty, James wasn't all that pleased to meet the boy next to her.

"Excuse me." Said a new voice from the door. "Do you mind? Everywhere else is full." When the occupants of the room didn't oppose his request, the boy walked inside and sat next to James. "I'm Sirius Black."

Severus rolled his eyes at the new occupant, likely knowing how famous the Black family was in the Wizarding world and not being all that impressed by Sirius. James wasn't bothered and held out his hand for Sirius to shake. They grinned at each other and Sirius stuck his tongue out at Snape.

Lily quickly introduced everyone again and they sat in silence. The girl continued to read whatever story held her attention and James tried not to be creepy as he studied her her face. Sirius played with a bright pink sugar quill in his hands, chipping bits off the tip and popping them in his mouth.

James felt his uncomfortable stare before he even looked towards him, Severus watched him with narrow eyes and a permanent overbite. Sirius looked between the boys curiously and asserted himself next to James, showing his decision between them, clearly the other boy felt like something was off with Snape as well.

After a few more minutes of tense silence, Lily looked up and sighed. "Boys."

Severus sprang up from his seat and grabbed onto Lily's wrist, yanking them both out of the compartment, Lily asking what happened behind him. James glared at the spot the boy used to sit in and wistfully glanced after the red curls that disappeared from his sight.

"What a simpleton," Sirius groaned out and James wholeheartedly agreed.

During the train ride James decided three things. One, Sirius Black would be best mate from that day until his last. Two, he would marry Lily Evans if it was the last thing he ever did. And three, Severus Snape was a right git.

Sirius was peered through the cracked door, eyes searching for someone. James looked over his shoulder at the empty corridor. "What are you looking for?"

"My friends Harry and Mya, I tried to find them before I boarded but no luck." Sirius answered distractedly before glancing at his new friend with a disappointed sigh. James decided not to take it personally. "They probably have a special compartment or something."

"Why do you think that?" James asked quietly, hoping to make the other boy feel more comfortable around him.

"They're the Headmistress' niece and nephew." Sirius said simply.

James laughed and reached over to pat his shoulder. "Hey, look at you, already making friends high up to avoid detention."

"How do you know I'll have detention?" Sirius questioned.

James shrugged lightly, eyes alight with humour, "We'll get very bored if we follow all the rules to the dot for the next seven years."

"I like the way you think James."

Sirius and James spent the rest of the train ride eating chocolate frogs and licorice snaps from the trolley and excitedly talking about Quidditch and who would win in a fight between a wild hippogriff and a thestral. Both decided that a hippogriff would win because it's 20 foot wingspan was smaller by ten feet and that made it easier to maneuver between trees.

A chill hung in the air of the train station at Hogsmeade and James hugged his thick cloak closer to keep himself warm from the elements. Sirius walked next to him, both boys already attached at the hip after their bonding on the Express.

"Evenin' ev'ryone! Firs' Years behin' me!" A curly bearded man loomed over the young children as they crowded around him. A bright smile lit his face and James felt himself relaxing in the presence of the giant man.

The First Year children were herded together and James looked around for Lily as the giant helped them sit on the floating boats, the wood wobbled slightly to the side as James sat. Hagrid dropped both boys on the wooden bench with a jubilant smile. The bar dug into James' hands and he bit his lip when a piece dug into his finger but he refused to loosen his grip and drown. Splinters were worth it.

"Hello, I'm Remus Lupin." A boy held out his hand towards the two dark haired boys sitting opposite of him, sandy brown strands falling over his green eyes and puffy red cheeks. "This is Peter Pettigrew."

James and Sirius took turns shaking the others hands, the former already thinking that the four of them would be fast friends. Even if Peter seemed quiet and Remus too nervous. He liked them, he hoped they were sorted in the same House. Otherwise he would have to sneak into other common rooms and he had promised his mother to try and stay out of trouble.

But as he stared at his new friends, especially Sirius, James had a feeling that he would be breaking that promise often.

In the dim moonlight, James stared at the hanging lantern Remus held above his head. The shadows danced over his soft features and James noticed the thin scratches over the boys face. Half a dozen scars marred his cheeks and the bridge of his nose and James wondered what had happened to his new friend.

Remus caught his eye and he looked away, clearly ashamed of the scrapes over his face. James immediately felt guilty for making his friend self conscious and he smiled kindly the next time Remus looked up. He looked calmed by the gesture and James took a deep breath.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1971**

 **~Harry McGonagall~**

Harry watched the magical boats wade over the black water, moving closer to the docks at the end of the castle grounds with trepidation. He had already met eleven year old Sirius but he had no idea what to do with his parents.

It had seemed so easy to open his mouth and start a conversation about Quidditch with his future godfather that day, safely tucked away in the robe racks. In the two hours or so he had spent with Sirius, Harry had felt more weightless than he had in a very long time. But the more time that passed since their meeting, the more Harry started to feel the importance of what they were trying to do. Sirius' life, his entire family's future, was in Harry's hands.

He wanted that shy boy in Madam Malkin's to grow up into his sarcastic and snappish personality, Harry wanted Sirius to _grow up_ without living almost half his life in a cramped cell. He needed to focus on stopping Voldemort, there couldn't be any distractions.

Harry knew that at this time Lily would still be best friends with Severus, while James would still think of Peter as a brother. Both of which were issues and Harry didn't want to think about what both of those men would go on to do in the future. The betrayal and the blood that would haunt them for years to come.

Hermione had agreed to change time, but Peter and Severus would be part of that change. Whether that meant making sure they wouldn't turn to the dark or ending them before they could. Harry never thought he would be considering killing someone but when he thought of Sirius in Madam Malkin's, he knew he could do it if it came down to it.

Hermione leaned over the metal railing next to him, her eyes intently following the boats as they docked into the small house-like structure next to the castle. Harry shakily reached towards his sisters hand, intertwining their fingers and squeezing her tightly. Mya rubbed soothing circles on the back of his palm.

"They'll be coming in soon, we should head to the stairs," Mya said, feet firmly planted and unmoving despite what she had said, patiently waiting for him to be ready. "Wouldn't want to make Aunt Minerva upset by disappearing on her."

Harry nodded and let himself be pulled along. They reached the stairs to the Great Hall just as the First Years did. Harry looked up at the stone soldiers that lined the walls and tried not to remember why those soldiers were in chunks on the courtyard in their version of 1998.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said sternly to the clumps of waiting students. "Now in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your Houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Now while you're here your House will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup."

Harry hadn't told their aunt who his parents are, just that they were part of the 1971 First Year students. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was more about what would happen if he and Mya ended up screwing up the timeline and suddenly there was no Harry Potter.

Sirius stood next to James and Remus with a look of unease and Harry remembered how his godfather had been treated because of his Hogwarts House sorting. His grey eyes filtered around the room until they landed on Harry and Mya. He smiled broadly and tried to wave them towards the already forming group of Marauders. Harry's fingers tightened almost painfully around Hermione's as he watched his father and godfather play wrestle, Remus telling them to calm down before they hurt themselves.

Harry averted his gaze from the scene and he felt Mya's confused eyes settle on him but she didn't question him. He appreciated how accepting his sister was when it came to his feelings. She could tell that he wasn't ready and she didn't push him into anything. It was why he loved her so much, Hermione was always a support for him.

"There you two are, I was getting worried that you'd gone and abandoned me to the First Years alone." Hermione felt her brother jump as Minerva's hands landed on each of their shoulders. Steering them away from the rioting children as they clambered into the Great Hall.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Minerva, we got carried away watching the boats." Harry mumbled. Not looking into her knowing catlike eyes.

Minerva left them at the foot of the stairs, "Don't make a habit of it, little ones."

They quickly nodded as they stood at the front of the crowd of nervous First Years. There was something surreal about standing underneath the hovering candles and waiting to decide which House would be your home for the next seven years.

The Sorting Hat was eagerly placed on a stool in the center of the raised platform that led to the professors table, every eye in the Great Hall was glued to the magical device as it opened its fabric mouth and began to sing:

 _Try me on and I will tell you_

 _Where you ought to be._

 _You might belong in Gryffindor,_

 _Where dwell the brave at heart,_

 _Their daring, nerve and chivalry,_

 _Set Gryffindor apart;_

 _You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

 _Where they are just and loyal,_

 _Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,_

 _And unafraid of toil;_

 _Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

 _If you've a ready mind,_

 _Where those of wit and learning,_

 _Will always find their kind;_

 _Or perhaps in Slytherin_

 _You'll make your real friends,_

 _Those cunning folks use any means_

 _To achieve their ends._

The hall erupted in cheers as the song came to an end, Hermione and Harry clapping along with the other First Years. They listened and watched as several witches were called to the front of the room, each going to a different House.

"Sirius Black," Minerva read out from the enchanted parchment in her hands. Her eyes searched out the anxious face of Sirius and, when she found him, nodded towards the stool. Sirius gulped and moved between the other students waiting to be sorted.

His legs scissored up the steps in quick successions. Harry could see his curled fists in the sleeves of his robes. When the boy sat on the wooden seat and the hat was placed on his head, there was a hum from the brown fabric. Harry watched his eyes squeeze shut as he breathed in sharply. Sirius' nose was scrunched as he kept his eyes closed and waited for the decision that would change his life.

Harry looked towards the Slytherin table, as expected the group looked bored, waiting for Sirius to join them. A headful of white blond hair drew his attention. Lucius Malfoy looked like the type of person who liked to drink his morning pumpkin juice in a crystal champagne flute. But there was something about him that Harry couldn't understand. His face portrayed clear unenthusiasm but his body was pivoted towards Sirius with keen interest.

"Gryffindor!" Sirius almost fell off the chair as he rushed to the red and gold table. Thunderous applause came from three of the tables, the fourth only gave a courteous clap. Harry mechanically clapped.

Harry continued to study Lucius underneath the serpent banners. He looked like Draco, an air of superiority radiating around him and designer robes hanging off his built frame. Unlike his son, Lucius didn't sneer at the other Houses, which was shocking enough. Malfoy looked a few years older than Harry, maybe a third or fourth year.

Hermione and Harry waited, holding hands like they really were children again, hoping that their mere presence hadn't changed the timeline already. Sirius was where he should be, three more to go. A little part of Harry hoped that Peter wouldn't be sorted into Gryffindor, if only to have one less person to worry about.

Lily and Remus both took the lion mantle with pride, happily accepting the congratulations from their new family as they sat under the red banners. Sirius still looked shocked to be anywhere other than the green and silver sea of people across the room but he tried to keep him mouth closed.

"Harry McGonagall," Minerva said with more than a little pride in her voice.

Up until that moment Harry hadn't really thought about whether or not he would end up in the same House as last time. A lot had changed since his original sorting almost seven years ago. He had been tortured and a fugitive for long months, he had fought in a war and seen both friends and enemies die. What if his place wasn't with the brave anymore?

The hat barely grazed his brown hair before it shouted, "Gryffindor!"

Pleasantly surprised, Harry sat at the very edge of the table. Watching Mya walk to the stool, her back stiff and face impassive. He remembered a time when she had confided in him that the Sorting Hat almost placed her in Ravenclaw.

"Could you be a lion or an eagle?" Harry saw the mask flicker to reveal her insecurity. "Hm, so many interesting things inside your head, little traveller. Better be Gryffindor!"

He breathed in a sigh of relief when she sat down next to him with a small smile. Both Harry and Hermione took calming breaths when Peter sat gingerly next to Sirius. Soon after, James joined the future Marauders and it was suddenly too much for Harry to handle.

"Severus Snape!" Lily turned in her seat to stare at her friend as he climbed the stairs. Harry noted his father's frown. "Slytherin!"

Sirius growled at the green table and James leaned over to see Lily's disappointed expression. After the rest of the First Years were sorted, the feast began.

James and Sirius pushed food towards Remus and Harry realized that the two of them had already taken the werewolf under their wing. Remus laughed into his arm when Sirius placed an entire apple pie on his plate, James passed Lily the salt with a misty smile.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Harry said lowly to his sister, picking at the dinner roll next to his plate without appetite. "I'm not that hungry and- well, it's just-"

Hermione knew him well enough to know when he needed help saying things that were too hard for him. "Yeah, let's go to the astronomy tower and take a breather."

Harry looked at her gratefully and together they stood from the table. Several of their classmates shot them confused looks and Sirius stared at them with his eyebrows raised. Harry avoided everyone's eyes and Hermione led him out of the hall. McGonagall caught Mya's eye as they past the halfway point of the Gryffindor table. The Headmistress began to rise and follow but a fast shake of Hermione's head had her sitting back down with a confused huff.

They didn't make it to the astronomy tower.

* * *

 **September 2nd, 1971**

 **~Hermione McGonagall~**

She was used to celebrating the start of a new school year. Knowledge, Hermione found, could be precarious. The first time her best friend had ever had a panic attack they were thirteen and mass-murderer Sirius Black had just escaped from Azkaban. They were on the way to Divination of all things. After it was over, they didn't talk about it. Even Ron had dropped the subject without question.

Last night it had been different.

Harry had been on edge all night, since the first boats could be seen coming towards the castle but when he was a foot away from his father, he had startle crumbling. Mya managed to half carry, half drag him a few corridors away from the Great Hall before he collapsed against the wall in a heap. It was the worst feeling in the world for Hermione, holding her best friend while he cried and screamed about something she couldn't help.

She had barely slept all night, choosing to stay in the living room and listen to Harry twist and turn in his bed above her. Waiting to see if nightmares would haunt him. Hermione was used to taking the late shift because of their year long Horcrux scavenger hunt.

Drinking a Pepper-Up Potion that morning instead of breakfast kept her alert enough to satisfy the professors. When their last class finally came around, Mya was physically and mentally exhausted. She couldn't remember a word that any of her teachers had said and a pounding headache had started behind her eyes.

Charms, as it turned out, was a lot more interesting the first time around. Harry sat next to her, glancing at the bags under her eyes with guilt. She hadn't told him about staying up but he was her best friend, one look at her in Potions that morning and he knew.

Hermione tapped her pen on the parchment paper as she waited for Flitwick to finish his long and drawn out explanation of the Wingardium Leviosa charm, before scribbling down a line or two for her notes. She twirled the muggle writing utensil in her fingers, it was a lot easier to take notes in half a dozen classes this way. Aesthetic be damned.

She heard Sirius snicker behind her as James poked himself in the eye with his own wand while trying to flip it in the air and catch it. Remus quietly reprimanding them from his seat at the desk behind theirs. Somehow, other than pure rotten luck for her brother, she and Harry had ended up sitting in close proximity to the Marauders.

In all of their classes. It was a good thing that they had already gone through all of this before, otherwise she would constantly be shushing the rowdy boys behind them.

* * *

 _To Be Continued..._

* * *

 **I went to see Avengers: Infinity War. It's not like it being the twentieth anniversary for the Battle of Hogwarts was enough of a trauma or anything.**

 **Anyways, please review for my unhealthiness!**


	4. Alternate

**Chapter Four**

* * *

 **February 19th, 1972**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

Months had gone by since they landed in 1971, almost a full year, and they had made neither progress in fighting Voldemort nor figuring out what happened to them in the first place that landed them in a crater as eleven year olds. All that was only made worse by Harry's continued avoidance of a hurt Sirius and his new friends.

Hermione felt deflated, worn out and was overreaching her resources.

Harry had taken to smuggling her meals underneath Madam Pince's nose when he visited her. She would glare at him and chastise him on possibly ruining books if it spilled, but Harry insisted that if she skipped meals to research then he would risk a stain or two. Not wanting to make him feel anymore guilty about her poor health, Hermione picked at the food until he seemed pleased enough to go back to their common room and leave her be.

Mya spent every free moment in the library since a couple of First Years couldn't exactly go trapezing through the countryside looking for Voldemort's horcruxes. In that time, Hermione had at least discovered the creation dates of the horcruxes. Much of the research she had done was, of course, from the restricted section. As well as a few volumes from the future thanks to a beaded bag filled with trinkets from her time on the run.

Hermione had found her magical bag in Hagrid's possession back in January. As it turned out, the fickle accessory had come loose off her shrinking body and been flung out into the woods for Fang to find during their whirlwind travel. The great Neapolitan Mastiff was only a playful pup and Mya wasn't surprised to find the majority of the bag chewed on, a few simple repair charms later and it was as good as new.

Mya had been happy to find her collection of defense book and grimoires, the Potter family Invisibility Cloak and the Marauders Map among the items inside.

Currently, the Gryffindor bookworm found herself cocooned in a thick blanket on her couch. Avidly taking notes on a scratch piece of parchment in her lap. Hermione took a sip of her unsweetened coffee, taking great care to avoid spilling on her books or creating any rings as she set the hot mug back on the table.

"How do you drink so much coffee? I can't stand the stuff." Harry said while taking a hardy drink from his tea and sighing contently.

"I like to think of it as being a healthy alcoholic," She saw Harry stifle a smile. It was so rare for him to smile now, it seemed being around his parents and godfather had been having the opposite effect of what he wanted. Harry was awkward around them, even after the day in Madam Malkin's with Sirius, he couldn't spend prolonged periods of time with them.

"There's nothing healthy about the amount of caffeine you ingest daily." Hermione shrugged him away with a roll of her eyes.

Digging in between the pages of her _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ copy, Mya pulled out a blank parchment, waving her hand over it she cast a silent Aparecium to reveal the concealed list. She held out the paper towards her best friend.

"I made a list of the dates for each Horcrux," Harry cringed but reached for the paper with enthusiasm. Reading over it carefully, Harry looked at her from under his brown hair impressed. "It looks like he has five by now."

 _Diary- circa September 1943._

 _Peverell ring- circa December 1943._

 _Hufflepuff cup- circa between 1945 and 1946._

 _Slytherin locket- circa between 1945 and 1946._

 _Ravenclaw diadem- circa 1956._

"Our best bet would be to find all the Horcrux and destroy them all at the same time. Just in case he can actually sense the torn pieces of his soul and starts making new ones before we can kill him." Harry said, nodding down at the list.

"We know Lucius Malfoy slipped Ginny the diary so it's possible Abraxas Malfoy could have it now, the cup was in Bellatrix's vault, the locket was in the seaside cave and Helena Ravenclaw's ghost said the diadem was in the Room of Requirement." Hermione said, remembering the hidden locations of the Dark Lord's soul.

His brows furrowed, "What about the ring?"

"Dumbledore found the ring but it was originally an heirloom to the Gaunt family. I think Morfin Gaunt would have it now, if Voldemort trusted him with it. He would be in his seventies by now." Hermione said doubtfully.

"At least we know where all of them are." Harry said hopefully.

"We should start with the diadem since it's here. Then we can worry about getting the others and destroying them." Hermione crossed her legs trying to make herself comfortable.

"How do we?" His eyes were wide, like he hadn't thought about that part of their plan.

"Basilisk venom and fiendfyre, although I think fiendfyre should definitely be our last resort unless we plan to evacuate England." Hermione looked at the place where his lightning scar used to be and rolled her shoulders. "The Killing Curse may work as well."

He nodded mutely before standing from his chair next to the fireplace. "What do we do about the others? Snape, Pettigrew, Malfoy. They all end up as Death Eaters." Harry spit each name like a dark curse on his tongue.

"We try nonviolence first." At his outraged face, Hermione held up her hand. "They haven't done anything wrong yet. Snape and Pettigrew are only eleven and Malfoy is thirteen. We can't send them to Azkaban for things they do in the future."

Harry sat back against the too soft cushion and spoke in voice so low she wouldn't have heard him if a pin dropped. "I hate him. I hate _them_ all."

He didn't need to elaborate. Peter was a person Harry could never forgive. He had betrayed his parents and gotten them killed, his godfather spent twelve years in Azkaban for Pettigrew's crimes and Remus was left alone.

"You don't have to forgive any of them but you can't look at him like the man who did all those things. He's still only a child." Hermione reached across the table to grip his hand. His green eyes looked over her shoulder. "I'm always on your side, Harry, you know that."

He squeezed back reassuringly, "And I'm always on yours. You're right, we can't judge them by what their thirty year old selves did, but I refuse to let them do any of it again."

"That's fair." Hermione checked the specially marked calendar hanging on the wall above the couch. "How have the full moons been going?" Harry blanched and Mya regretted the question but knew it was important to keep track of the cycle.

"It's been a right nightmare. He's alone all night, screaming through the transformation and in terrible pain. Without the Wolfsbane potion he has no control over himself as Moony and without my father and Sirius, he has no comfort or affection." Harry said. "I know we have to keep our distance until Remus can trust us, but it's killing me to watch him."

"Do you want me to start coming with you to the Shrieking Shack?" Mya asked softly.

"No." Harry immediately shook his head towards his sister. "I love and trust Remus but Moony is dangerous, especially when he's chained up."

"Harry, you don't have to protect me. I can take care of-" A quick knock at the door cut through their common room and Hermione snapped her mouth shut. She began stuffing her books into the disillusioned box next to the couch. "Can you get that?"

"And interact with people?" Harry snorted as he took the stairs two at a time, hurrying to his bedroom as he called down. "No, thank you."

Hermione opened the door and peered up at her Aunt from underneath her bangs, a confused little frown pulling down the corners of her mouth. Minerva stood in front of the portrait with a deep scowl.

"Come in, please," Mya stepped aside as her Aunt gracefully floated into the room. "Is something wrong?"

"You were not at dinner tonight, as a matter of fact you have not been at any meals this entire week." Her voice was tinged with concern and Minerva sat primly on the couch. "I rarely see you in the Great Hall. You and your brother, both."

"I'm sorry to have worried you. I've been caught up in the library, constant research and Harry has been keeping me company." she said. "And, Harry isn't comfortable in the Great Hall. There's people in there that he's just not ready to be around."

Hermione wasn't entirely certain if she was talking about their friends or foes but in that moment she realized that, for Harry, seeing either would be painful. She just needed to wait for him to be ready and in the meantime, Hermione would hold down the metaphorical fort.

"Alright, but I expect to see you at meals from now on." Minerva's voice conveyed her 'no defiance' attitude and Mya nodded silently.

* * *

 **March 1st, 1972**

Remus wasn't in any of his classes the day of the full moon or the day after, as per usual. Mya had expected as much and the last few months were a routine, but every month it felt just as painful to see his empty seat between the rows.

Hermione supposed that as time went on and he got older, Remus would gain a type of tolerance for the unbearable pain of turning into a werewolf once a month. It had been Harry's idea to start keeping track of the days when he would turn so they could watch over him until the other future-Marauders knew his secret.

As an eleven year old, Remus was more reclusive, he talked with the other Marauders but other than them, he kept to himself. Keeping his sandy head down in class, religiously writing out every word the professors said and walking behind James in the halls.

Mya had seen him studying in an excluded corner in the library often enough but she couldn't bring herself to build up the courage to cross the shelves and go to him. Something about his studious and quiet demeanor reminded her too much of the Professor Lupin she had known in her third year and that reminder kept her at a standstill.

The man who later became her friend and Order comrade.

He was the same person so it stood to reason that he would act the same. However, in the handful of times future Remus had talked about his life with the Marauders, he had made it seem like the weight he would constantly carry on his shoulders in the future, hadn't been there until the first war. Like he had let go of his self hatred and lived for a while.

Now she knew it hadn't been the truth- he had been telling her lies to bring her hope in the face of war- because Mya could still see it weighing him down to the ground when he practiced a wand movement in class or leaned over the table to make a potion, albeit not as large as in the 90's but there nonetheless.

It seemed like she wasn't able to separate Professor Remus Lupin who had taught her Defense Against the Dark Arts and the Remus Lupin who sat a row behind her and tried not to jump away when his friends playfully hit him because he had real injuries.

She glanced behind her, over Sirius' ridiculously pinned up dark hair- his wand sticking out of the messy bun, at the empty seat next to Peter. Hermione glanced at the roll of ready parchment papers that already stuck out of her bag before turning back to take more detailed notes. Mya didn't need them, she had gone through all this before so it was more like a refresher course in her mind, but Remus hadn't done any of this before.

Harry sat next to her, staring off into the distance, a crinkle in his forehead. He ran an aggravated hand through his shaggy brown hair, pushing it away from his glazed eyes. Hermione noted that he could use a haircut soon or he would be able to stick his hair in a bun like Sirius.

Hermione listened intently, not willing to miss anything that could be useful to Remus in the future. Her quill moved seamlessly against the parchment sitting on the desk in front of her. She usually used smuggled muggle pens for her notes but Harry had thought that it would be obvious who made the notes since she was the only one who used them. It wouldn't do them any good to have Remus know they were aware of his condition this soon.

"You misspelled 'anaphylactic' and 'hypersensitivity'." She whispered to Harry while Madam Pomfrey gave her lecture. After a herbology lesson gone wrong, McGonagall had decided to invite the nurse to lecture each year on safety in the classroom and the sort. Hermione wasn't entirely certain if these particular notes would come in handy for Remus but she figured it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

"We're bloody wizards and we haven't thought to use anything as simple as pencils with erasers." Harry grumbled, scraping the paper in a crumple and sliding it away before lowering his head into his folded arms.

"Don't pout, darling," Hermione grinned as she added another side note on Madam Pomfrey's speech. "It's unbecoming."

Her brother snorted and buried his head further in his sleeves, trying in vain to hide himself from the bright afternoon light coming from the classroom windows. The aged stone glistened with the golden rays. Mya thought the room looked positively Gryffindor and she suppressed a snort when her eyes slid towards the Slytherin side of the room.

"James, Sirius." Mya strained her ears to hear Peter's voice calling out from behind her. "Have either of you seen Remus today? He wasn't in the dorm yesterday and I checked the library this morning when he didn't show up for breakfast. I can't find him anywhere."

Mya saw Harry's fist clench and his eyes shut tightly at the squeal of Peter's voice. Out of everyone they saw and met anew, Peter was the one person Harry couldn't look at for too long without growing angry. Hermione wished she could say that she gave the blonde boy a fair chance but she couldn't stomach thinking about him. Not as an eleven year old and not as a forty year old. She was a hypocrite. Mya had told Harry to look at Peter like the innocent child that he still was, but she couldn't do it herself.

"He said his mum isn't feeling well and he went to see her for a few days," James answered back. Although Hermione could hear the odd tinge as he spoke. There was concern there but it was laced with suspicion. Mya figured that Remus hadn't gotten any better at coming up with excuses for his disappearances.

She didn't need to turn around to see Sirius rolling his eyes before he said, "He disappears all the time. I reckon something else is going on with him."

James turned away from Madam Pomfrey's lecture and gave his friends his full attention. Not that he had been vividly observing the nurse before Peter had questioned him. "He's hiding something. What do you think it is?"

"Maybe he has a gambling problem," Peter piped up and Hermione had to stifle a laugh.

"Peter, he's twelve. He can't very well run off to spend his galleons willy-nilly." James said with slight exasperation. "I say he's running an underground blackmarket."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Sirius said dryly.

"More ridiculous than a gambling problem?" James questioned seriously.

There was a minute of silence before Sirius grinned back, "Yes."

Hermione heard something that sounded distinctly like someone being hit over the head with a thick roll of parchment. Then she heard James' satisfied voice asking his friend quietly, "Alright, what do you think it is then, smart one?"

Mya saw Sirius shrug out of the corner of her eye. He was lounged back in his chair, tipping it over precariously. "Maybe he just gets tired of all these classes and hangs around in Hogsmeade. Merlin knows I would if I could."

Hermione couldn't help it, she snorted loudly into her hand. It was absolutely hilarious to think that Remus Lupin would ever willingly miss a class for any reason. He lived and breathed knowledge, just like her, it was one of the reasons why she took notes for him while he was gone. She didn't want him to feel like more of an outsider than he already did.

Sirius leaned forward, a frown on his rounded face. Even as a child he looked aristocratic, Mya supposed that came from being raised a Black. "Find something funny, Mya?"

"Just your idiot antics, Sirius." Mya saw Harry twitch but he kept his head down.

"Oh, I see how it is. I've come here to learn and you've insulted me. You have undermined me and ruined my education. I expect an apology." Sirius pressed a hand over his heart and foreigned a swoon into the back of his chair. James snickered next to his best friend.

"Bite me," Hermione said with a roll of her green eyes.

Sirius smirked and bared his teeth, nipping at the open air.

* * *

 **March 2nd, 1972**

 **~Remus Lupin~**

His whole body ached but he pushed himself to walk faster to Charms.

Full moons always left him dead tired, bloody and with a pounding headache behind the eyes. Thankfully, the next day he only retained two of the three. Wouldn't that be a sight? A bloodied boy covered in self inflicted scars stumbling through the halls covered in scratches and purpled wrists from the shackles used to keep others safe from him.

Remus grimaced at the mental image, that would certainly end the new friendships he had made in his time at Hogwarts.

It was already a shock to him to have friends in the first place. With his condition and everything that came with it, Remus spent the majority of his life before Sirius, James and Peter- alone. He had his mum and dad but they were always working, trying to make ends meet. He didn't have anyone his own age at home since his parents were afraid he would accidentally tell someone he was a werewolf and that wouldn't be good for anyone. Everyone knew that no one liked werewolves.

When he rounded the corner and spotted the open door to Professor Flitwick's classroom, he crept closer, not wanting to disturb whoever was inside. Remus hadn't gotten there as fast as he wanted to and in a few minutes students would filter in for the start of lessons but today would be the only day he could catch the culprit. Or he would have to wait another long month.

Although, _culprit_ wasn't exactly the right term.

Whoever it was hadn't done anything wrong but what they _had_ done was enough to cause panic to rise in Remus. Every month when he would come back from his stint in the Shrieking Shack and then the hospital, there would be a neat stack of scripted notes on his desk. And not once had he caught whoever was doing it, because surely they must have a reason.

It wasn't any of his friends, he had ruled them out fairly quickly.

Sirius barely paid any attention to the professors and never took notes for himself, let alone anyone else. James was busy either gawking at Lily or scribbling illegibly around sketches of brooms and snitches. While Peter would have just told him if it was him, the plump boy would relish the attention and thankfulness. None of them would mysteriously leave them there, especially since Remus was usually the first one through the door out of the four of them.

Through the crack in the door he could see the table he and Peter occupied, the empty surface taunting him. Professor Flitwick wasn't in the room yet, no one was. For a moment, disappointment coloured Remus' cheeks.

Had he missed them again?

Then he saw her.

A little girl sitting at her desk, hands pristinely tapping on the wood as she hummed a tune Remus wasn't familiar with. Her golden curls fell in messy waves over her shoulders and back, but they looked soft. He could see her tapping her wand between her thin fingers. Remus wondered why he hadn't noticed her before. She had on Gryffindor robes but he couldn't remember seeing her in the common room or at their table in the Great Hall.

Her hands carefully reached inside the bag at her feet, rummaging for something. Remus craned his neck to see her pull out several thick rolls of parchment. His eyes widened and he ducked behind a pillar as she hopped off her seat and dropped the papers at his desk with a flick of her wrist. Remus waited for her to do something else but she went back to her chair and continued with her haunting melody.

On his way out from behind the column, Remus' feet caught the train of his too-long robes and he tripped forward. Remus tried to hold himself from falling but his cuts pulled and he lower himself fully to the ground with a grimace. When he glanced up from the floor, he saw her head turned to him in confusion. Enchanting green eyes that he could swear he had seen before looked at him in unmasked concern. Not finding a point to hide again, Remus swallowed thickly and walked to his desk sheepishly.

She watched him cringe away from the bruises as he tried to situate himself on the uncomfortable stool. Remus gingerly flipped through the vellum in front of him. There it was. The elegant loops and detailed writing he was used to seeing every month after the full moon. Remus stared up at her in question.

 _Do you know what I am? Are you afraid of me?_

 _Why are you doing this? What do you gain from helping me?_

The girl smiled at him comfortingly and Remus felt a warm feeling falling over him at her kindness. Her shadowed eyes looked well beyond her years, before turning back around to face the front, waiting for class to start.

Remus wanted to ask her all the questions zooming through his head as he read through the notes, but suddenly there were too many people milling around. Azule blue, canary yellow, wine red and emerald green robe covered students filing in. He felt the teasing bumps of his friends as they jolted him out of his thoughts.

"Where have you been?" Peter asked, setting his things down next to Remus' newly acquired notes. "We've been right worried about you."

"Do you have a drinking problem?" James asked suddenly, earning a scowl from Peter. "Because if you do, we can help. My mum's cousin, Dorea, works in the Australian Ministry in Human Resources. I bet she could refer you to a good psychologist here."

"I don't think that's right." His face scrunched up in confusion, "I don't."

"See? I told you it was smuggling!" James looked between Sirius and Peter triumphantly, hazel eyes sparkling behind his glasses. "I was right and you both owe me pumpkin pasties."

Sirius rolled his eyes heavensward, like he could find all the answers to how he became friends with such nutters in the ceiling rafters. "Just because he's not an alcoholic doesn't mean you're right either, Potter. And I don't recall ever agreeing to fuel your growing obsession."

James threw a quill at Sirius, getting a splash of not-yet dried ink on his Gryffindor tie. "You would know what's wrong with our mate, then?"

Before they could continue with whatever strange conversation Remus had accidentally become involved in, Professor Flitwick called for silence as he started the instruction on proper wand movements while performing charms.

"Who is that?" Remus asked his friends quietly, pointing at the head of honey and chocolate curls that sat in front of Sirius, hoping she didn't hear him and think he was being a creep. Or worse, ungrateful for the help.

Sirius followed the tip of his finger to the studious and whispered back. "That's Hermione McGonagall, goes by Mya. She's the Headmistress's niece."

"And how do you know that? Has our Sirius taken a fancy to the young Miss?" James grinned and rammed his shoulder against the other dark haired boy who just rolled his eyes.

"No, you dolt. I met her brother at Madam Malkin's over the summer," Sirius nodded towards the boy sitting next to her. "Harry. He introduced us. Haven't seen much of them around though. They seem to disappear outside of classes."

At his friends curious looks, Remus glanced down at the pile in his hands nervously. Remus wasn't sure if he should tell them or keep it a secret. "Just wondering, is all. I didn't recognize her and she's got Gryffindor robes on."

Remus spent the rest of the day trying to pay attention to the professors. He wanted to ask Hermione so many things but anytime he tried to catch her she would slip into a crowd of students or his friends would drag him somewhere else.

Remus found the whole situation rather vexing. She was avoiding him but she had taken the time to help him every month without seeking recognition or even a simple 'thank you'. He just couldn't understand what her motives behind her actions could be.

In the following months, Remus didn't find notes on his desk first thing in the morning. It had been a shock to walk into their Charms classroom and be the only one there, a small part hoping that Hermione would be in her seat already. The first time it had happened he was disappointed and unpleasantly surprised, it was one of the constants of his life and he still hadn't gotten the chance to ask Hermione why she did it. Later, on those same days, he would find them shoved into a side pocket of his bag.

Month after month. He didn't fall behind with his assignments because he always had the notes she wrote for him packed away with his own. Hermione never came close enough to him, yet the notes still appeared there like clockwork.

* * *

 **May 13th, 1972**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

Ever since Remus caught her leaving the customary notes on his desk, she had been having a hard time avoiding the werewolf. It had gotten to the point where he would show up to their first class half an hour early and she had to loiter the halls until other students decided it was close enough to the start of class to come. More often than not, Mya ended up handing off the papers for Harry to slip into Remus' bag sometime during the day.

For a while after he caught her, Hermione had thought about stopping. Surely he could take care of himself without the notes or her, but her conscience wouldn't let her. Especially not after they had a full seminar on magical creatures during one of his missed days. It had been so much information at one time and even she had trouble keeping up with the long-winded speech.

It was two more weeks until school would let out and then she could spend all of her time in the library, surrounded by information. She turned the pages of her textbook without seeing the words printed on the cardstock. Hermione was certain that she'd already read the book in her lap. There was nothing useful in it, there wasn't anything in any of them.

She was just going around in circles trying to figure out what had happened to them and it was driving her mental.

Suddenly it hit her, Hermione bolted upright, causing the chair underneath her to fall onto the floor. She couldn't be bothered to pick it up as she searched through the books on the desk. There had been _one_ book that she had initially dismissed as theoretical nonsense but looking through the pile now, how could she be so stupid?

When they had first arrived, she had noticed some things were different. Not drastic enough to set off an alarm in her head but they were noticeable.

Minerva McGonagall was Headmistress. Albus Dumbledore was still the Transfiguration professor. Lily Evans liked riding a broom. Severus Snape wasn't good at Potions. Lucius Malfoy didn't keep a constant sneer on his face.

Looking at the little things now, Mya felt like a total moron. How could she not have figured it out sooner? Of course things would be different here.

Hermione exhaled loudly when she spotted the torn binding of the book she was trying to find. Grabbing it and her bag, Mya ran out of the library. Smiling apologetically towards Madam Pince as she passed by.

She ran past several groups of students. The moving staircases froze as Hermione sprinted towards her common room, apparently sensing her distress. When she could see the portrait hole, Mya pulled to a harsh stop. When the painting was happy with her answered password, Hermione shuffled inside.

Harry was sat on the couch, looking dejected at a flyer for Quidditch tryouts. When he heard the door slam shut, Harry was on his feet with his wand in hand before she could announce herself. Hermione held her hands up in surrender, panting from her run.

"Bloody hell woman, you about gave me a heart attack." When he lowered his wand, Hermione sprawled in a chair, catching her breath. "What's got you in such a rush?"

"I figured out where we are." She finally said, excitement returning to her voice.

"We're in 1972, it's not exactly new information." Harry said, brows furrowed.

"No, Harry, that's not the only place we went." Opening the book to the correct page, Hermione tapped the golden and sparkling drawing.

"What am I looking at?" he asked.

"Have you heard about the multiverse theory?" Harry shook his head. "According to muggle scientist, the multiverse is a hypothetical set of various possible universes. So any choice we make, there's a theoretical split in the road where another version of us took the other option. Thus creating a new consequence."

Hermione heard him mumble something that sounded suspiciously like ' _hypothetical my arse_ ' but chose to ignore it.

"And you think we've landed in another universe?" He questioned. "But it's so much like ours and wouldn't that mean we should have landed in our bodies here?"

"This one was probably the closest variation to ours. Maybe the major difference that influences it is that Minerva is Headmistress," Hermione shrugged. Anyone who knew half as much as they did about Albus Dumbledore knew he wasn't exactly a saint. "We would have, except we're in 1972. Neither of us have been born yet."

Hary scratched at the back of his neck, studying the glowing picture. "So what now?"

"For one, we can stop worrying about accidentally erasing ourselves." Mya said. "It also means that whatever we change could leave us blind with certain things in the new future."

"That's a comfort." he said sarcastically.

"We know more than we did yesterday," she offered hopefully and Harry smiled. "I count that as a positive."

* * *

 _To Be Continued..._

* * *

 **I went to see my senior friends graduate (I'm a junior) and I got the entire section that I was sitting with to cheer for my best friend and she tackled me afterwards crying. I feel accomplished.**

 **Review to let me know what you think!**


	5. Fly High

**Chapter Five**

* * *

 **September 4th, 1972**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

It was the first day of Second Year. Technically classes had started two days earlier, but a pixie infestation forced all the professors to talk about safety rather than their subjects. Hence, Hermione considered the fourth the _official_ start of her repeat of Second Year.

After spending the whole summer studying, researching and religiously collecting books on alternate universes with Harry, she had a few things figured out. Sadly, none that helped her figure out how to send them back to their world or make up Harry's mind about whether or not he _wanted_ to go back at all.

One, their original universe and the one they had landed on were similar in both magical and muggle history and politics, they seemed to have the same scientific advancements and even celebrities remained virtually undisturbed- except a few minor discrepancies. What surprised Hermione was their time travel and anti-aging. Although she supposed that the Time-Turner was responsible for the former but nothing in her dusted pages could explain the latter.

Two, Harry was being an idiot and had been refusing to try out for the Quidditch team all summer and that was something she needed to rectify before it was too late. Mya wasn't a fan of the deadly game in any fashion but she knew it meant the world for her brother to retain something normal in his life. Especially when they were surrounded by their ghosts.

Three, the two of them had no way to go back and needed to start living the second chance they were given. No more avoiding people who were long dead to them because they were alive again and Hermione wanted to know them again. Most of them for the first time.

"Harry?" Mya called from the kitchenette. "Do you want tea?"

"Some Earl would be nice." He answered, clearly distracted. When she dropped the ready mug in his hand, Harry eyed her suspiciously. "Alright, what's bothering you?"

"Nothing!" Hermione said defensively. "I just thought you could use the warmth."

He hummed as he took a sip, paling slightly at the flavour but continuing to drink regardless. Satisfied that it wasn't laced with anything like a sleeping draught, Harry went back to reading through the Quidditch magazine in his lap. Hermione tapped the handle of her cup anxiously, waiting for the right opening. As if he could sense her staring, he dropped the magazine unceremoniously on the cushion next to his legs and turned to her.

"Mya," Drawing out her name. "You're terrible at acting inconspicuous. Out with it."

"I think you should try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team." She said in a rush. "I think it would be good for you to have something outside of lessons and homework."

The messy haired brunette, leaned forward from the couch, his elbows digging into his knees. "Are you, Hermione bloody Granger, asking me to-" He cut himself off abruptly at her wide eyes. "I'm sorry, love, I wasn't thinking."

"It's okay. I haven't been a Granger for a long time. Even before we landed ourselves in this mess." Hermione said, trying to pull a brave smile. "Without my parents I didn't feel much like I fit into that, Granger belongs to a family of dentists now. Nothing abnormal."

"I'm still sorry," Her brother said with hallowed eyes. "I shouldn't have brought it up."

"You can make it up to me by getting on the team." Hermione told him in a voice that left no room for questions or defiance. "I want to see you out there flying."

"I can't promise that I'll make it, my dad and Sirius are both trying out too." He said with a rueful shake of his head when she tried to speak. "But I promise to try. And even if I don't make it on, I'll start doing laps around the field after classes."

"I suppose that's the best I can ask for, although I never thought I'd be pushing you on one of those bloody death traps to begin with." Hermione relaxed into the cushions and snuggled deeper into the pillows. Rolling her eyes, she stood and held out her hand when Harry wrinkled his nose at the tea. "Give it, we both know I'm rubbish at making tea."

"Honestly, you're the worst British person." Harry grinned while handing over the offending beverage. "Thank you." He called after her.

Hermione glanced down at the lukewarm leaf water in her hand, "You're thanking me for bringing you something that resembles dried grass and day old bath water?"

"Absolutely not for that," Harry laughed. "For the Quidditch pressure. I know you hate it when I go out there."

Hermione dumped both cups into the sink and returned to her seat in front of her best friend. "You don't have to say thank you for that. I will still worry but I love you too much not to force you to play. Do me a favour, please, at least attempt not to land yourself in Madam Pomfrey's care as often."

"I solemnly swear." Harry clicked his tongue when he heard the buzzing from his wand and turned to her with wide eyes. "How has your other project been going?"

"I'm starting to wish I had sat in with Professor Snape while he made Remus his wolfsbane potion before each full moon. Since it doesn't exist yet, there's nothing for me to work off of except some barbaric experiments from over a decade ago and my own memory." Hermione sighed. "I just want to make his life easier while I can because everything gets so much more complicated from here. The war, horcruxes, rats, Death Eaters. Is it wrong to want a few less self inflicted scars on a sweet boy?"

"No, I don't think it's wrong at all." Harry reached over to squeeze her hand. "It all seems so far away right now. The war, I mean, because nothing is happening at Hogwarts right now. But Remus suffers every month right under our noses and if you can find a way to help him- well, I know it would mean the world to him."

"I'm trying everything, Aunt Minerva is helping but she's not an expert at this sort of thing. I remember most of the ingredients- Aconite, Holy Water, Mandrake Root, werewolf blood, Burdock Root, Holy Thistle Leaves- but the quantities and timing aren't something Snape shared so that part is guess work." She frowned.

"You've got this, Mya," he said confidently. "How are you getting Remus' blood?"

"Madam Pomfrey. She has some on reserve for him after full moons since large doses of blood replenishing potion can make him sick." Hermione shook her head, curls snagged on her blouse buttons. "I thought I was more clever than this, I should have figured it out by now."

"You will, you're a bloody genius. Don't beat yourself up, love. The Remus we knew spent over half his life without it, even if it takes you another three years to brew it correctly- it'll be more than he's ever had." Hermione nodded and smiled at her brother.

"You're right, I need to wait for the Mandrake to reach peak potion maturity before I can try again but I won't stop until I've got it." She said.

"Class starts in five minutes. We're going to be late!" Harry shouted as he blindly reached out to find his books.

"The one time you're actually worried about being late." Hermione mumbles as she swung her bag over her shoulder.

Together they rushed down the empting corridors, past bemused paintings of elder witches and wizards and lost First Years. Mya shouting for them to ask the portraits for directions before they missed too much of their class, Harry rolled his eyes and laughed. He found some comfort in it. Same Hermione as always.

They were late to Transfiguration, but with Dumbledore still teaching, neither of them were as afraid of getting detention. The clock chimed several minutes before the siblings tumbled through the door, tripping over their own feet. Every pair of curious eyes were on them as they bashfully took their seats in the far corner of the room.

"Well, now that we are all present, perhaps we can start on today's lesson." Dumbledore said kindly, Hermione sunk further into her seat as Dumbledore's glinting eyes remained on her and Harry. "We are turning beetles into buttons!"

"Isn't that too low level for us?" Harry muttered under his breath, causing Hermione to chuckle quietly into her sleeve as she watch the other students.

Hermione watched the students tap their wands and recount the incantation, the degrees of success varied. Peter in particular was an odd case; he managed to mostly transform the beetle into a sleek black button on his first try. It would have been impressive if it weren't for the distinct insect legs sprouting from its sides trying to scamper away from him. Mya turned back to study her own beetle. The creature sat in it's glass container, poised to scurry away should she let her guard down. It was an ordinary bug, brown hard shell and beady eyes peering up at her, pinchers pointed towards her hand. Hermione held the knob on top of its enclosure.

"Do not worry, Miss McGonagall, it is only a harmless insect." Dumbledore stood by her desk, hands folded neatly behind his back as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

She was suddenly aware at the several pairs of wondering eyes that were pointed in her direction. Mya didn't know why it bothered her so much but there was a building challenge in her stomach. Twisting and turning her insides. Without opening the canister, Hermione waved her wand, arching it as she cast the incantation. Inside the glass was a single, perfect button.

* * *

 **September 12th, 1972**

 **~James Potter~**

James was sulking and everyone in Gryffindor Tower knew it.

Not just from the muffled curses as he ran up the stairs to his dorm or the resounding _slam_ when he reached it, but because of an equally outraged redhead that had arrived a few minutes before him and stomped up the stairs to the girls dormitories. James' roommates were also keenly aware of his sour mood, from experience.

James crashed heavily against his headboard with a dramatic sigh, crossing and uncrossing his arms nervously, a growing tick in his jaw as Sirius recounted the day's events. Growling lowly under his breath when he heard the name, _Lily Evans_ uttered humorously. Just hearing the name made him picture the rolling emerald green eyes and bouncing red curls around her heart-shaped face. He wanted to be mad but it was _Lily_ and, no matter how hard he tried, James couldn't bring himself to be angry.

"So you just asked her to come watch you at Quidditch tryouts?" James nodded vigorously towards the lanky boy perched on his bed. "You didn't do anything to warrant her reaction? Did you do anything else?" Remus questioned.

"No!" He shouted, at which point both Remus and Peter turned towards Sirius with suspicion, who nodded in answer to Remus' question.

"Yes," Sirius said with a barely suppressed smile. _Bloody traitor._

"Lily was absolutely smitten with me!" James continued saying with a smug grin, as if Sirius hadn't spoken at all.

Remus looked at him dubiously before turning back to Sirius, who was sprawled over his own crimson satin sheets in clear amusement. "If that were true, you wouldn't be pouting in bed like a scolded First Year." Remus deduced, his voice light.

Sirius rolled his grey eyes and clarified James' mood, "They had another row. Lily screamed his bloody ear off. Called him a two faced, good-for-nothing, ignorant toe-rag and stormed off without a spare glance at the poor sod."

"And what did he," Remus pointed at James' offended expression. "Do to earn her ire?'

"He called Snape ' _Snivellus_ '." Peter, who had remained an observer up until then, broke out in a restless fit of giggles and dropped his head. Remus stared between his friends, all of whom were now laughing. "Come on, Remus! It's a little funny."

He shook his head and sat back in his cot with a roll of his eyes. "One day your childish disagreements with Snape over Lily are going to bite you in the arse. Mark my words, you will regret making that boys life difficult."

"You need to have more fun, like James and Sirius." Peter chide from his chair, an expression of admiration aimed at the dark haired boys. His legs tucked under him as he rolled a quill between his fingers. His head quickly turned back to the amused boys on their beds. "When are you two trying out anyways?"

"Nineteenth." Sirius sighed, his eyes latching onto the handle of his racing broom that stuck out from underneath his bed. "It's daft waiting two weeks before having them. Not like some bloke is going to gain the ability to play better and make it on a team in that time."

"I think it has more to do with the First Years learning how to ride and taking over the pitch," James watched Remus as he logically explained the delay. "Plus I heard that Madam Hooch has been trying to get McGonagall to buy new brooms since all the ones we have now are older models and unsafe for students."

"I guess that's as good a reason," James curiously asked, "Are you trying out too?"

"No, I can't. I would be gone too often." Remus shrugged, throwing off his robe with ease. His long legs stretching in front of him as he reclined into his own bed after a long day of lessons. Remus ran a finger over the bridge of his nose. Where James knew was a faint old and knitted scar Remus didn't talk about.

Sirius seemed to notice the stiffness in their friend as well and looked helplessly down at his socks, not knowing how to delicately breach the topic.

"Where _do_ you go every month?" Peter's nose scrunched up and James could see the peculiar wonder being his muddled blue eyes. "You always seem to disappear and never answer any of our questions when you come back."

"I go see my mum." Remus said tightly, his voice emotionless. The answer was practiced. Memorized. Like a matra repeated anytime they asked. "She's sick, you see."

Sirius and James had gotten used to not asking, waiting for the right time to find out on their own or when Remus was ready. Apparently Peter wasn't as patient.

It was the answer he had given them all throughout First Year. Anytime James, Sirius or Peter would try to hatch Remus out of his book bound shell, the sandy haired boy seemed to only bury himself further.

When they asked him to study for a Charms or Potions test the night before, he would check his watch anxiously and mutter the regretful words to get himself out of staying in the common room until the golden streams of lights faded through the windows.

 _I'm going home today, my mum's gotten worse. But maybe if you ask nicely, Frank and Dorcas could share their notes with you. They're at the top of their class so I'm sure they could lend you a hand with studying._

When James and Sirius would literally have to drag their distracted best mate to Quidditch games because they knew Remus always wanted to go, but he got too caught up in a book and forgot what time it started. During every game they would cheer loudly, jumping and rooting for their favorite players. It was something they shared and enjoyed together. Except sometimes Remus would flinch from their touch, cowered away from their thunderous voices, and told them that he couldn't go because he was visiting his mum that night.

 _I can't go to the game tonight, I'm leaving before curfew starts. I can't be late or I'll miss my ride out of Hogwarts and won't get to see my mum_.

When the four of them had snuck into the kitchens after midnight for birthdays and often just because of Peter's sweettooth, to try and bribe the elves to give up a few left over cauldron cakes, Remus would always laugh and lick the chocolate off of his fingers. Until one night, Remus had thrown up after just smelling the sweet and couldn't stomach even a bite of his favourite. James remembered asking him if he was okay and Remus' face contorting in shame and embarrassment before he stared down at his shaking hands with ire that James couldn't imagine seeing anywhere else.

 _I guess I'm the sick one now, eh?_

Every time Remus would turn them away, James would become suspicious. A few days later, he would forget about his questions once Remus was back and everything went back to normal. Then it would begin again, a seemingly endless cycle.

From their places around their dorm, Peter and Sirius looked unconvinced. James wasn't entirely sure he believed Remus' flushed face either. Remus pushed himself further into the mattress, away from his friends' gazes, as if he could disappear if he tried hard enough.

"She gets sick a lot," Peter pressed not unkindly but the continued focus on his excuse made Remus visibly uncomfortable. "Is something else wrong that you aren't telling us about?"

James chimed in quickly, hoping to lessen the tenseness of his friends shoulders. "I hope she feels better soon. I know how anxious and moody you get before you go for a visit. But if something else is the matter with her or you, I hope you know that we're your friends and you can tell us whatever it is."

Remus smiled toothily, eyes crinkling in the corners, but James could read the uncertainty behind them. "I hope so too and I know, nothing else is wrong. Thank you, James."

The nonchalant posture in Sirius changed and he leaned away from his bed, studying Remus critically for a moment before nodding his head mindlessly. "Who do you think will make it on the Gryffindor team this year?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.

They slipped into easy conversation, discussing Quidditch like normal teenage boys should. Although the rest of the night was loaded with forced laughter between Sirius and Remus, James tried his best to keep it as light as he could and hoped to lessen the strangeness between them. It was obvious that the boys knew Remus was lying to them about what was going on, or at least keeping a secret, but he wasn't ready to tell them.

Not only was James growing more concerned but he couldn't rid himself of the gut feeling that Sirius was suspicious about Remus' homelife. James also suspected that Sirius was judging from his personal experience with parents projecting their feelings physically, but he never brought it up. He wanted his best mates to tell him about things in their own time. James wouldn't pressure either of them into telling something they weren't ready for, but something about Remus told him that the time had come and gone for him to share.

Maybe it was time for them to take matters into their own hands and figure out Remus' secret on their own, after that he could deal with Sirius opening up about his family. If James had any say about it, both of his mates would be feeling more weightless before long.

"By the way," Remus mused hours later, the dying embers of the fire flickering across his features as the boys tucked themselves into bed. Peter had fallen asleep an hour earlier nestled in his pale sheets and thick blankets. "What exactly is a toe-rag?"

James shrugged and tapped his chin in thought, eyebrows bowing. "I'm not sure but it sounded like a compliment so I've decided to accept it as one."

"Potter, I don't think anything could sound like a compliment when being screamed by a furious girl." Sirius said. "Face it, you're getting nowhere with Evans."

Remus turned his light off and James watched him shift around until he found a comfortable position on his bed, fluffing his pillows several times and tucking the quilt under his chin with a sigh. Sirius chuckled and tied his hair away from his face before dropping back into his mountain of pillows.

"You look nice today!" James screamed suddenly towards Sirius, startling the dark haired boy, Peter surged at the loud noise and fell off his bed with a pained moan.

Sirius threw a pillow across the nightstand separating their beds, "Tosser!"

* * *

 **September 19th, 1972**

 **~Harry McGonagall~**

Hermione didn't react when Harry woke her with a large, goofy grin and a colourful candle skewered treacle tart slice. He didn't know exactly how many to put on the sweet- was she turning twelve again or was she venturing into her twenties? Hermione seemed to be in the same state of confusion. After a minute Harry, losing the smile plastered over his face, stepped further into her tidy room.

"I have to get ready for class," Mya muttered as she threw the duvet away from her body and slid out of her bed, completely ignoring the offered sweet. "So should you."

Hermione pulled at her pajamas, discarding them on her messy covers. The two of them had gotten over seeing each other change a long time ago, but Harry turned his face away to give her more privacy anyways. "It's your birthday! Plus we've done this before, you won't fall behind just because we decide to celebrate instead of skipping off to Transfiguration."

Hitching her skirt up her legs and buttoning her blouse, Mya set her fingers on tying the crimson tie around her neck. "Technically, I won't be born for another seven years so it doesn't make sense to blow out candles and such."

" _Technically_ or not, it's September nineteenth which means it's your birthday." Harry said tersely before taking a deep breath and continuing hopefully. "I know we haven't really celebrated ours since the Fourth Year, but we can start again. Maybe we can even talk Aunt Minerva into letting the elves bring us butterbeer."

Hermione turned, her face downcast. Harry hated seeing her wearing anything other than a smile on her face, to him at least, it didn't feel natural for her not to be happy. The thought seemed almost funny to him then. They had been through a war, their friends and family had been dying around them for years, and yet _this_ was something utterly unbelievable to Harry.

Comfortingly, he pulled her into a bone crushing hug. "I just want you to be happy."

"I know you do." Mya held him without question, burying her face in the muscle where his shoulder met his neck. "I think it would be nice to have something to celebrate again. Speaking of, aren't tryouts for the House Team today?"

Sighing, Harry's eyes drifted to his racing broom, a gift from Aunt Minerva, in hesitant want. He wanted to play again, he wanted to _fly_ again without being chased by Death Eaters or Dementors or bloody spelled bludgers. "Yeah, they're later today."

Hermione followed his eyes and smirked, "I promise not to turn that one in."

Scoffing, Harry threw her book bag towards her. "Who would you report it to? Our aunt is the Headmistress and that was her gift to me."

Catching the heavy strap, Hermione groaned when the contents spilled over their common room floor. "Prat."

"Sorry," He blushed in embarrassment and bent down to help her collect her things. Mya cringed when he shoved a book into the bag without looking, her hands stopping his before Harry could do anymore damage to her organization. Harry rolled his eyes and pulled everything out again for her. "I'll see you in class?"

She waved him away with her hand, separating her things into little piles based on usefulness. He noticed that she placed _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ in the front pocket and zipped it up. "Hurry or you'll be late and I don't want us both in detention."

"I'll see you soon," Harry called out as he stepped through the portrait door.

"Harry wait!" He stopped before she had to chase him down any further down the hallway. "You forgot your robe," Hermione held out the black material and rolled her eyes when he stuck out his tongue as a thank you. Honestly, he would forget where his head was if it wasn't attached to his shoulders.

Kissing her forehead lightly, Harry hurried the rest of the way down the hall before he turned and shouted, "Harry birthday!" Harry could hear her melodical laugher follow him until he disappeared towards the moving staircases. The steps shifted and shook underneath his feet but he held the banister until the movement stopped.

In the hall ahead of his class, Harry spotted a grinning James Potter as he strutted across the hall towards a peeved Lily Evans and glaring Severus Snape. It was odd to Harry, watching his father be rejected by his mother again and again. The constant confidence that James emitted was useless against Lily and it made it seem almost silly to imagine them married in a few years.

Harry hid a grin as James swept his arms in a low bow in front of her, asking Lily if she would be his private tutor for Potions. Snape sneered and rolled his eyes while the hall of students laughed good-heartedly at James' newest attempt to woo Lily.

Lily huffed and shouted, "I would rather sit in a puddle of stinksap, Potter!"

"I wonder how long it'll take before one of them finally give in," A voice whispered.

"I wouldn't count on either of them making it easy for the other," Harry said back without looking up from his parents.

* * *

 **September 19th, 1972**

 **~Sirius Black~**

He hadn't meant to sleep in, his friends were supposed to wake him up before breakfast but apparently the selfish pricks had decided to let him stay in bed all day. Sirius sniffled through his stuffy nose and whipped his sweaty forehead with the sleeve of his robes again. It was ridiculous, he wasn't that unwell. A little cold wouldn't stop him from going to Quidditch after classes, even if Remus wanted to drag him to Madam Pomfrey and drug him into unconsciousness until he felt better.

Sirius rounded the corner, slightly swaying on his feet from the sudden turn. Supporting himself against the wall, he hurried towards Transfiguration. Dumbledore wasn't really a concern, he was nice enough but not really scary, McGonagall on the other hand was a nightmare. He shivered at the thought, and definitely not from a burning fever, Sirius reasoned.

"Happy birthday!" Sirius jumped as a jubilant boy ran past him, remaining oblivious to Sirius. He recognized him as his friend from the robe shop in Diagon Alley.

The black haired boy turned to where Harry had come from in curiosity, his sister stood in the middle of the stone hallway. Honey coloured curls flowing freely around her head. Mya's skinny arms crossed over her chest to keep away the morning chill and a wide smile over her face as she laughed at her brother. Sirius took notice of the open door behind her. The painting complaining about leaving her hanging open.

Sirius curiously leaned against the cool wall as he watched her walk back towards what looked to be her common room. He knew she was a Gryffindor, even if she wasn't always sitting in front of him in lessons, he could see her scarlet striped tie from his cove.

Now that he really thought about it, he never saw Harry or Mya in Gryffindor Tower and rarely at the Great Hall table during meals. They were like classroom ghosts, came and went with the professors. Sirius didn't see them talking with any of the other students unless it was a forced partnership for a class, even then, Harry and Hermione would often work around it and pair up with each other anyways.

A fit of throat searing coughs knocked him away from his thoughts as he shivered. Sirius felt the uncomfortable scratching in his throat worsen as he tried to gulp down air between hacks. Squeezing his watering eyes shut, Sirius tried to balance himself.

Warm arms wrapped around his shoulders and Sirius swooned into the hands that reminded him of summer warmth. Cracking his grey eyes open, wincing away from the light, Sirius was met with the worried face of one Mya McGonagall. She smelled like parchment paper, coffee and something uniquely fruity.

"Are you alright, Sirius?" Sirius tried to shrug or nod but the hallway was tilting and spinning while the sun sent shocks into his eyes that made him flinch. "You're burning up!"

"I'm okay," He muttered trying to help her with his weight so she wouldn't have to drag him wherever Mya had decided to take him. "I have to go to class."

Mya hummed and squeezed his shoulder as she guided him along the hallway, "You mean Quidditch tryouts."

She dropped Sirius as gently as possible on the couch at the far corner of the living room, his wide eyes taking in the room. Cream coloured wallpaper surrounded the bare walls, a rustic fireplace lit in the wall across from the door. The fabric couch was comfortable and covered with embroidered pillows in varying shades of blues and greens. The table was littered with rolls of text and thick, heavy-looking volumes that Sirius would never willingly pick up.

Mya disappeared into an arch for a few seconds and Sirius could hear the opening of cabinets and moving of glass vials. When she returned, her hands held out two small bottles. She sat on the edge of the cushion, by his extended legs.

"This is a sleeping draught, it will only last a few hours so you can make it to Quidditch on time." Uncorking it, she held out the amber liquid. The potion smelled clean and sweet. He reached for it and, without thinking about it too much, threw his head back to swallow the contents of the bottle.

He pointed to the other vial which was set on the corner of the table. "What's that one?"

Mya shook the flask of blood looking slush. "Pepper-Up for when you wake up."

"Why don't you live in Gryffindor Tower?" He found himself asking, a slight slur to his words. Shifting his head to try and find a comfortable position on the mountain of pillows, Mya reached behind him to straighten them out.

Hermione paused her preening and rolled her shoulders in indifference, "Having your aunt be the Headmistress has perks. Not having to share a bedroom is one of them."

"But don't you want to make friends?" His head was filled with pleasant sleepiness and Sirius couldn't focus on her. Her green eyes and fluffy hair blurred into the room around her until all he could see was the shining emerald colour. Soon he was snoring lightly, distantly he felt the drop of a fluffy blanket over him and he snuggled further into it.

Before he let sleep overtake him fully, Sirius decided that she was rather pretty, for a _girl_.

* * *

Sirius looked around the vaguely familiar room, pushing the blanket away from himself, he sat up. In the chair closest to the fireplace was another person. Wild hair in a loose bun on her head and an uncountable number of loose tendrils falling over her shoulders and into her face, much to her obvious annoyance as she blew them away. Mya's legs were draped over the arm of the chair, hanging a few inches above the floor, and her eyes were shut.

He remembers the corridor, the swimming vision and the kind girl with her own common room. Sirius heard the chime of the clock from the tower and realized how long he had been asleep on the curly haired girls couch. He made a note to be more weary towards draughts given to him by the sweet wallflower.

Classes were over and that meant Quidditch tryouts would be starting soon!

Not wanting to wake her after she had taken care of him all day, Sirius quietly collected his school bag and abandoned robe. His head hurt a little but it was only an uncomfortable ache, not the pressure of an oncoming migraine. Thinking he would be a better played with it rather than trying causing his own problems, Sirius knocked back the Pepper-Up potion from her table.

Before he could fully leave the room, Sirius remembered something else that had happened in the cold hallway that morning.

" _Happy Birthday_!"

It was her birthday and she had spent it in her living room; watching over a sick and sleeping boy she knew in passing and sleeping in a chair to watch over him. Digging in his bag he pulled out a medium sized box of _Honeydukes_ sugar quills. They were a sweet mixture of strawberry and chocolate, his personal favourite. They were supposed to be a gift for Remus since he loved anything chocolate and constantly bit at his own, ink filled quills.

Then again, Sirius thought Hermione deserved a birthday present from him. He left the colorful box on the couch cushion and closed the door behind him tightly.

The halls were filled with eager students hurring towards the pitch. Now in better health, Sirius weaved through the crowd without a second thought. A buzz of growing adrenaline in his veins as he thought about what it would feel like to be flying on his broom and hopefully wearing the Gryffindor team colours soon.

Quickly changing into the padded outfit provided by Madam Hooch, Sirius raced out into the sunlit playing field with an excited grin. There were at least a dozen Second Years who wanted a spot on the red and gold team, the older kids would be trying out another day. The stands weren't occupied, people choosing to sit on the grass for a closer look instead.

"Hey!" James waved him over, protective gear covering his lanky figure from head to toes. "We didn't think you would make it out today."

"You look better," Remus supplied. "You don't look ready to drop in a puddle of drool anymore and from what I can see, you're no longer ready to blow over from a light breeze."

Outraged at such an outlandish accusation, Sirius huffed. "I do not drool, Remus Lupin, nor will I _blow over_!" Sirius repeated with a cheeky grin.

Remus pushed his jacket cocooned chest jokingly. "Tell that to the Charms homework you ruined a fortnight ago when you nodded off."

Ignoring the image of James and Peter as they mouthed to one another about how ridiculous their friends were and waved their arms between them with over-exaggeration. Sirius bared his chest like a proud peacock showing off his battle wounds. "If you didn't want it to be slept on, dear Remus, you shouldn't have left it on my bed."

Remus sighed overdramatically as he began enunciating his words, his voice obnoxiously loud as he shook his head theatrically. "Which is why I didn't, I left it on my bed. On the other side of the room from yours. Perhaps you should check which bed it is you're crawling into at night before you make yourself comfortable."

"Potato, Patato." Sirius quoted an upset Lily from their Potions class earlier that week.  
"My bed, your bed, James' bed. Not like they aren't exactly the bloody same except for a slightly different shade of Gryffindor pride."

James stuttered, not expecting to be pulled into their conversation. "Sirius, are you colourblind? The ' _shades_ ' are red and gold." Sirius waved him away with his hand, mumbling something about not knowing the difference in the dead of night.

"Name one person who says 'patato' and I will cut off my foot and swallow it whole." Remus said with a completely serious expression.

Before Sirius could think of any of their muggle-born housemates who could possibly use the word, Remus and Peter were pushed off to the side and away from the large group of padded boys and girls since they weren't going to be playing.

One after the other, they all took to the crystal clear blue sky, all of them lifting off easily enough to satisfy Madam Hooch. Sirius easily spotted the familiar back of Harry McGonagall's messy caramel head. The boy looked like a natural, his body perched forward and stiffly waiting for the start of their practice game.

"I want a nice, clean game from you!" Madam Hooch shouted up at the poised players before she blew her whistle. "Go!"

James veered to the left, bowing low against the current created by the other fliers. Sirius spun away from a bludger and watched it whiz past his head and crash into the handle of Frank Longbottom's broom, almost knocking him off the magical wood.

Avoiding several girls who were either too scared to try and score or trying to find a safe place to land, Sirius gripped his broom with a deathly grip and narrowed his eyes through the sky, searching. The quaffle soared through the air and missed Sirius by only a few centimeters, landing gracefully into James' outstretched arms.

Together, they slipped past the opposing players, smoothly looped between them, passing the ball between them with ease. Sirius arched his arm back and aimed for the left hoop, the Keeper dove but the quaffle rang through the golden circle, barely brushing the Keepers fingers.

Sirius pumped his fist towards James with a wide grin over his face, energy swirling into his body as they continued to guard each other. James remained ahead, which was perfectly okay with Sirius, he was better at watching his best mate's back than leading a charge.

Marlene McKinnon had kept to their side, whacking away any bludgers that came near them with a leather wrapped bat. Sirius heard Marlene's voice on his side, "Dive!"

The three of them scooped towards the ground. A bludger hot on their trail, Marlene jerked horizontally behind them as Sirius and James came back up to face the goals. Sirius glanced back to see her gracefully batter the ball in the direction of another player before rising quickly to their level and lagging purposefully to watch for anymore.

The air bit at Sirius' face, burning his eyes the faster he went but the exhilarating feeling was worth watery eyes. When their quaffle landed into the middle hoop, Sirius could hear the joyful screams drifting up from the spectators on the ground.

Before his small team could regroup, Madam Hooch called them to a halt, "Harry McGonagall has caught the Golden Snitch! The game is over! All players please return immediately to the ground and expects results within the month."

Sirius was radiating happiness when his feet landed on the mushy grass. His eyes scanning the crowd when he caught a quick glimpse of his younger brother next to a group of Slytherins, his black hair short and spiked away from his face. Eyes wide as he had been watching his older brother show off his flying skills.

James panted next to him, "Did you see that?"

"You were amazing!" Peter clapped as Sirius pushed sweat drenched hair away. "Sirius that spin you did was mental! I don't know how you managed to hold on!"

"Thanks, Peter, it's all in the wrists." Sirius twisted his hands, the bones popping. He turned away from his brother, eyes downcast.

In the corner of his eye he saw Harry, still perched on his broom and hand curled around the golden ball wiggling between his fingertips. Mya waved him down with a bright smile and a little part of Sirius wondered if she would say anything to him about his incident in the hallway or his stay on her couch.

A pair of fingers snapped in front of his distracted face. "Sirius? Are you even listening to us? I thought compliments was how you managed to stay young and beautiful." James joked, an arm slung over Sirius' shoulders.

He pulled away from the scene of Harry and Hermione embracing. "What was that, Jamie? I thought I heard you badmouth the next Gryffindor Chaser."

"I asked if I could have a sugar quill." Remus said, looking at him oddly, as he pulled his attention away from James.

Sirius' eyes were subtly drawn back to the girl with coiled chocolate hair, Hermione sent him a saccharine smile and Sirius responded in kind, although he knew his wasn't as bright. "Sorry, mate, ran out this morning."

Remus shrugged towards his friends before asking, hopefully, "We could go down to the kitchens and celebrate with whatever sweets the elves have?"

* * *

 _To Be Continued..._

* * *

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	6. Midnight Revelations

**Chapter Six**

* * *

 **October 3rd, 1972**

 **~James Potter~**

"Harry McGonagall made Seeker." Peter said from his bed. "I didn't even know that the Headmistress had children, let alone ones our Year."

"They're her niece and nephew, not son and daughter. Peter, we've told you this before." Remus commented offhandedly as he flipped through his completed homework.

"Oh," The chubby blonde boy said sheepishly, glancing towards Sirius and James with wide eyes. "I must have forgotten since the last time."

Sirius tossed the miniature quaffle in the air and caught it before it could fall on his face. "He caught the snitch in record time, I'm not surprised. Our House team is going to wipe the floor with all those Slytherin gits." He said, ignoring Peter.

"Marlene is going to be a good beater, too. Made a hell of a bodyguard during tryouts." James said, snatching the quaffle midair before Sirius could grab it again and then tossed it over his shoulder to Remus.

The brunet dodged easily and let the small ball roll underneath the bed, eyes still following the words in his book without pause. "You were a very coordinated team out there. I wouldn't be surprised if you ran drills together."

"What about the two of you? Are you going to be competing over who is a better Chaser?" Peter said, bending down to his knees to search for his friends plaything underneath Remus' prestinely made bed.

"Don't think so," James responded without a thought. It was true, Sirius and him were closer than just best mates, they were brothers in every way but blood and family name. They wouldn't let something like Quidditch competition get in between them.

"Jamie's right," Sirius nodded. "Remus, do you think we should tell Evans that James is only _tied_ for star Chaser?"

James straightened and glared between Sirius and Remus, although the grin on the other dark haired boys face betrayed his seriousness. James rolled his eyes when he began to chuckle but Remus still hadn't made a sound,

"I've got to go, I didn't realize how late it had gotten." Remus said, a tone of panic in his voice. He picked up an overnight bag from the corner of his bed. Carefully placing his book back on the nightstand as he went. "I'll see you all Monday!"

The three boys all chorused their rehearsed goodbyes, wearing theatrical smiles and waves as they waited for Remus' footsteps to disappear far enough from outside their door before jumping into action. James tugged on his shoes, hazardously knotting his shoelaces. For a moment he thought about taking his invisibility cloak but the others didn't know about it yet, so they left their warm dorm without it.

They slightly stumbled over each other as they hurried down the last steps before the common room but it was still fairly crowded by the older Years and James didn't think Remus noticed the disturbance behind him as he ducked out of the Fat Lady's portrait. James led the way as they snuck a few metres and hid behind columns unnoticed. Remus' shaggy head ducked into the Transfiguration room and James held Sirius from following as they waited for their mysterious mate to come back out.

James was more than a little shocked when Dumbledore led Remus out of the castle, a hand on the young boys shoulder, as he steered him out of the castle. Remus' head lowered and feet dragged behind him as he walked with their Professor.

"Where do you think they are going this time of night?" Sirius clamped a hand over Peter's mouth and James shushed him fervorously. "It's a little late for a lovely moonlight stroll through the courtyard."

They walked past the greenhouses and when they made no sign of stopping in the clear field, James tugged his friends to a stop behind a glass wall in the last flowerlined house. He brushed away a few potted plants so he could see clearly.

"It's too risky to go out there in the open like this, we should wait until there's somewhere for us to hide again before following them." James suggested.

"Are you sure we should be doing this at all? It feels like Remus' personal thing and we shouldn't poke our heads into it, no matter how curious we are," Peter squeaked out.

"He's our best friend." Sirius said, not taking his eyes off the retreating figures of Dumbledore and Remus as they bled into the horizon. "I don't like any of this. It's past curfew, where could Dumbledore possibly be going with him?"

"Let's find out," James was about to run after them but an arm pulled him forcibly back to the dirty floor. "Peter!" He hissed.

"Look!" The blonde boy pointed at tier Transfiguration Professor, coming back towards the castle, hands tucked into his robes and a calm look over his elderly features. All without Remus. "Where's-"

"The only thing out there is the Forbidden Forest. Merlin knows what kind of trouble Remus could get into on his own." Dumbledore walked over a hill and disappeared from their sight under a stone archway. "Let's go before we can't find him in the dark."

They hurried down the path, keeping low to the ground to avoid detection if Dumbledore decided to come back and check on Remus. James' nerves were alight with worry about why their best mate was being abandoned alone in the Forbidden Forest every month, assuming this is where he was every time, wasn't it _forbidden_ for a reason?

James noticed the branches of the Whomping Willow were frozen in mid-strike, the leafed bough hanging ominously above their heads. James saw a suspiciously hollow hole at the roots of the terrifying tree. Crawling on his hands and knees, he dropped into the dingy passageway. Spiderwebs twisted themselves on the back of Sirius' jacket and Peter landed on an abandoned rat trap.

The light of the full moon filtered down through small and unnoticeable cracks in the ground above them. James heard the rattling of metal ahead in the tunnel and sweat ran down his neck as he panted. He didn't pull out his wand, if Dumbledore left Remus there then it must be safe. Inching out of the damp soil underpass, James felt safer with Sirius and Peter behind him. There was light coming from underneath a splintered wooden door.

Looking at Sirius, James nodded towards him, together they opened the door. Cringing away from the creaking of its rusted hinges they stepped over the threshold. At the center of the room, tied in shimmering silver chains, was Remus. His knees were hugged against his chest and chestnut coloured head buried in the fabric of his sleeves. James watched his shoulders tremble as his lanky body rocked back and forth against the wall.

"Remus?" The boy's shaking stopped and he slowly lifted his head, green eyes watering at the sight of his friends. "Oh, Remus, what has Dumbledore done to you?"

James found himself furious at their Professor, he was supposed to be a protector of children, instead of chaining them up alone in the middle of the night and leave them to cry. James clenched his fists in anger at the treatment of his friend, he felt the fury radiating from Sirius at his side as they continued to look.

"What are you doing here? You can't be here!" He screamed at them, pulling further into the room, struggling to fit himself into a tight corner and away from the three horrified boys at the door."Get away from me!"

James took a step into the rundown room, trying not to look too closely at the chains around his friends wrists and ankles. Until a sickening crack stopped him cold in his tracks. Remus fell forward, head snapping down, forehead resting against the molded flooring. His breathing laboured and body spasming uncontrollably.

"Leave me alone! Get out of here!" Remus growled out as his arms splintered back, his back arching and the plain tee shirt he had been wearing, tearing into ribbons. "Go away James!"

"We just want to help you! Tell us what's going on!" Pleaded Sirius from next to James, Peter staying safely outside of the dim room. "Remus-"

Remus bared his sharpening front teeth. "Out!" His voice nothing more than an animalistic snarl towards them. "Run!"

James was shocked still as he watched the quiet boy he lived with, scratch at his own flesh, ripping gashes against the already scarred skin. He didn't hear the yelp behind him until Sirius tried to grab onto his arm as he was dragged back and out of the room. James panicked, drawing his wand he pointed it at the door which Sirius and Peter were pulled through.

Even with his back towards Remus, James could still hear and smell the torn body, but he didn't move away. He would protect his friend, even with his suspicion about what was going on with Remus, the condition that James was realizing his mate had. There was a sudden yank of metal and James jumped, turning to the boy who was no longer there.

In his place was a creature that James remembered reading about once.

The werewolf had a deep cream colored skin underneath thick brown fur covering his body. James could feel his hands shake as the wolf paced in his magical prison of chains. "Remus, hey mate, it's me. It's James. Everything is going to be okay."

Not-Remus snapped his jaws at James and jerked forward in an attempt to tear at him, causing James to stumble backwards, right into a waiting pair of arms. He struggled at first, wanting to stay with his hurting friend but a frazzled Sirius and Peter kept his attention long enough for the girl to raise her wand.

" _Protego_!" The bushy haired witch cast her spell, the soft blue mist covered the door, before she reached the handle and slammed it shut, locking it for good measure. "What were you three thinking, walking in on a werewolf during a full moon like that?" She whispered harshly.

* * *

 **Earlier**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

"Harry." She tried to rouse him but the exhausted boy dug himself deeper into the cushion, mumbling incoherently. "Harry! Wake up! Your father and godfather have decided to barge in to bother Remus' monthly visitor."

Hermione dove for the window, searching for the three troublesome figures that snuck towards the frozen Whomping Willow. Glancing back to her slumbering best friend and back to the suicidal idiots, Mya grabbed her wand and rushed out of the door, closing it behind her softly.

Thankfully the Willow hadn't manage to shake off the petrification charm Dumbledore had thrown at it by the time she ran through the grounds.

 _Gryffindors, courage and stupidity are close enough to be interchangeable apparently._

The eerie familiarity of the tunnel startles her, she hadn't really ventured inside it since her Third Year. Ironically with Peter, Sirius and Remus also starring in that nightmarish scenario. She briefly wondered if these boys would turn her hair grey before her twentieth birthday.

She spotted the choppy blond hair of Peter first, cowering away from the steps leading into the Shrieking Shack bedroom. She could hear James and Sirius trying to talk to Remus as he screamed at them to leave him alone. Hermione's heart broke when she heard the snaps of bones.

Remus was a good person, he didn't deserve this. If she could only hurry up in figuring out the Wolfsbane potion, it would make his life so much easier. And suddenly, clear clarity blanched her mind, if Fenrir Greyback showed his face right in that moment she could use an Unforgivable. Wouldn't hesitate to kill the man- _no, monster_ \- who bit a three year old child out of revenge for their parent speaking out of turn.

Peter whimpered as she passed by him, hissing a warning to stay where he was and not move a muscle. Mya crept closer, her feet silently padding up the stairs, trying to remember which boards were loose and actively avoiding them. Sirius' hands shook at his side but he stood firm next to an equally scared James.

Hermione had to admire their loyalty.

Grabbing the scruff of Sirius' neck she wrenched him away from James and a transforming Remus, savagely pulling him out of the bedroom. He struggled against her but adrenaline was pumping in her veins, giving her the strength to yank him away and Hermione managed to push him against the wall next to Peter.

"So help me Merlin, stay here or I will hurt you." Mya turned to go back towards the room and hide the last of the idiot trio in the hall before Remus hurt them or himself. No wonder her universes Severus Snape always picked on her little Golden Trio. They were a pain in the arse just like the Marauders.

"Wait!" Sirius grabbed her wrist. "You know, don't you? What's happening to Remus?"

"I'll explain it when I get James out of there."

As quickly as possible she snached James and cast a protection shield so Remus wouldn't be able to get out if he somehow broke through the chains. _Chains_. Mya would have some serious words with her aunt about the boy's treatment.

"What were you three thinking, walking in on a werewolf during a full moon like that?" She whispered harshly.

"Werewolf?" Peter's eyes were the size of saucers and he glanced rather nervously towards the door she had warded.

Nodding, Hermione tried to drown out the screeching from the room. "He would never hurt you willingly but the wolf isn't exactly his free will and does whatever he damn-well pleases to infect others."

Hermione knew that eventually the three of them would be running alongside Moony around the forest together in animagi form, but for right now it wouldn't do any of them any good to wander into the Shrieking Shack while virtually defenseless. James moved towards the door again but Mya stopped him, her hands pushing gently against his chest.

"That's our friend in there!" He shouted, which only made the howling grow louder and more persistent. He held his wand out unsteadily. "Get out of the way or I'll curse you."

"Remus being able to smell you and hear you is why he's hurting himself." Mya said, ignoring the wand. Sirius looked furious and James matched him quickly. "He would rather hurt himself than accidentally scratch or bite you as a wolf and turn you. Stay out here and keep quiet, it's better for Remus that way."

Sirius slumped against the wall and picked at his nails with sudden interest. "How do you know all of this stuff about werewolves, and Remus in particular?"

"And how did you cast that charm? It's a Fourth Year spell." James piped up from his new seat on the floor, legs stretched out in front of him.

"I read." Hermione said simply, sitting next to the door and listening to the waves of pathetic whimpers that flooded out. Her heart in shreds over the pain Remus was going through and she sighed heavily, promising to look harder into the Potions section in the library.

After she ignored their continued proding, the boys talked quietly amongst themselves, leaving her to draw in the soft dirt with the tip of her wand. Eventually Peter slipped into uneasy unconsciousness while James and Sirius were too busy listening to their friend howl to bother her. Hermione wondered how much longer it would be until sunrise.

Several hours later, Hermione heard the weight on the floorboards in the room lessen, shift and then stop all together. Climbing to her feet, she lifted the barrier and threw open the door. The sound startling Peter out of his nap, James and Sirius already peering over her shoulder to see inside. Remus lay on the floor, moaning in pain and exhausted.

His clothes were shredded and he weakly tried to open his eyes before flinching away from the sunrise light. "Take him to the infirmary quickly."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Hermione wasn't sure who asked but as James and Sirius lifted Remus off the floor, her eyes swam in red. Anger draining her face of any colour. James wrapped his cloak around the sleeping boy.

"No," She clenched her jaw. "I have to talk to my aunt about _these_." She kicked at the bloodied chains laying around Remus.

* * *

 **October 4th, 1972**

 **~Remus Lupin~**

He blinked his weary eyes open and relaxed into the mattress underneath his sore limbs. It felt so good to sink inside feathery warm after spending the night on the splintered floor in excruciating pain.

 _Wait, mattress_?

Remus spread his shaking fingers on the soft fabric of the hospital sheets and pushed the pillowed surface under his head until it bounced back up. This wasn't right. He was used to waking up alone on the cold ground of the Shrieking Shack, covered in aches and bruises. He was not used to waking up in the scent of disinfectant and lemon. How had he gotten back?

Suddenly his body snapped forward, lifting entirely off the scratchy blankets because _he_ _remembered_ _his_ _friends_. James and Sirius had been there, he remembered smelling Peter but he hadn't seen the boy. The three of them had seen him change, seen him go feral.

A primal fear was dug deep into his mind, his heart, _his_ _very_ _soul_. What if in the haze of the full moon and the monster that came out, he had bitten one of the boys?

No, no, no!

This was bad. Everything would fall apart. The friends he had made and even the school he was allowed to attend because of McGonagall's kindness would disappear. Remus' breathing felt rushed, quick expels of air that dizzied him quickly. He tried to focus on the bland curtains around his bed but the blue blurred and bled into one blob of meaningless colour.

"Hey, Moony. About time you woke up, we've been going mad with worry about you." Sirius strolled into the sectioned off bed space. A steaming plate balanced in his hand as he pulled the fabric closed again and took a seat on the chair next to Remus' bed. "Since you missed breakfast, I thought I'd bring you some. Peace offering?"

Remus' eyes widened at the comfortable aura Sirius extended. "What?"

"You don't like _Moony_? James thought it was rather clever." Sirius said with a slight pout, hand still outstretched and holding out the food. "You know because your alter ego only comes out during the full _moon_ , hence _Moony_."

"No, I get the reasoning behind the nickname. But-" Sirius shoved the plate into his hands and lolled his chair on its hine legs.

James poked his head into the little cover and smirked widely. "Look, who's finally awake! Welcome back to the land of the conscious, Sleeping Beauty. For awhile there we thought one of us would have to kiss you."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Remus murmured into his lap, fingers tearing apart a buttered biscuit. _Like_ _he_ _could_ _have_ _done_ _to them last night_. He dropped his head in shame as tears filled his vision. "I understand if you want me to leave the dormroom and- and…" he hiccuped into his hands. "Hogwarts."

Sirius pulled the uneaten plate of food out of his unsteady lap and slid it onto the empty nightstand next to his usual bed. "Of course we're not going to have you kicked out! Why on Merlin's green earth would we do that?"

"Because- because I'm a monster!" Why couldn't they understand? He wiped at his eyes, it wouldn't do him any good to blubber like a child now. It would only serve to make him more pathetic in front of his only friends. If they were still that.

"Stop being so dramatic, you dork." James scolded. "You fold your socks, Remus. Forgive me if I'm not trembling at the sight of you."

"But-" He was cut out when two pairs of gangly arms wrapped around him.

The boys hugged him tightly enough for him to know they weren't going to let go but not hard enough to aggravate his healing injuries. "You aren't going anywhere." One of them muttered into his shoulder. Not being able to help himself, Remus squeezed them back and let the damn break, crying into their dark hairs.

When the three of them broke apart, Remus was grateful beyond words. "I'm sorry!"

"For trying to eat us last night or for not telling us about your-" James paused for dramatic effect before leaning forward conspirically to whisper, "Furry little problem?"

"Both?" He replied meekly. "I'm really sorry."

James waved his apology away with a smile as he stole a piece of bacon that Sirius had brought for the hungry wolf. "Don't worry about it. We're in one piece and we know now. Although, I should warn you, you drooled on my cloak while we were bringing you here so I don't want it back."

Sirius tried to swat James' stealing hand away, then glanced between James and at his friend in the hospital bed. "Hermione knows about you too, I'm betting that she's told her brother. If he didn't already know."

Remus exploded again. What little reassurance he had started to feel thanks to James and Sirius was very quickly drained out of him. "What? They must hate me now!"

"Actually, mate, she yelled at us for making you hurt yourself and then stormed off to scream at her aunt and Dumbledore for chaining you up so I reckon you'll be okay." James nodded along with Sirius, looking a little afraid of the curly haired witch.

"Speaking of, why didn't you tell us you were into that sort of thing? Chains and all?" Remus was happily shocked when James didn't flinch away from him as he playfully wacked him behind the head.

They talked about what he had missed during the day of his potion induced slumber. James trying to convince him that Lily had magically fallen in love with him during the day while Sirius told him about a rampaging dragon that ate Snape. The boys' story featured Dumbledore skinny dipping into the Black Lake and Frank Longbottom marrying Emma Vanity in a secret ceremony performed by a Mountain Troll. The ridiculousness of James and Sirius' imagination proved to Remus how dedicated his friends were to making him feel normal and that made Remus happier than any amount of breakfast in bed ever could.

The magically strengthened chains disappeared after Mya found out, but there were a number of wards put around the Shrieking Shack to keep him inside and other people out until sunrise. Madam Pomfrey always expected him the next morning, potions in hand and an arsenal of healing spells for his self-induced wounds.

The best part about what happened that night were the other boys. Sirius, James and Peter. They didn't treat him any differently like he feared they would. They still joked with him, stole and hid his books if he didn't pay enough attention to them and every morning when he woke up in the Hospital they would be there. Plate of breakfast food and wild stories about things that Remus knew couldn't have happened in twelve hours.

If anything, things had gotten better. Full moons were, and always would be, a nightmare but he was treated more humanely and that meant the world to him. Remus had wanted to thank Hermione for all she had done the night of the _incident_ but she had gone back to avoiding him and pretending like he didn't exist. At first he had been scared that being a werewolf was the reason for her cool exterior, until he got the next set of notes on his desk, like before he found out she knew. Notes he had been receiving every month.

All Remus could do was wonder, how did she find out in the first place?

* * *

 _To Be Continued..._

* * *

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 **One of my friends who reads this asked me what my goal is and I just want people to enjoy this story and for Kittenshift17 to favourite it because I honestly adore her and her writing so that would be an honour. If you haven't read her stuff, you're missing out big time.**

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	7. All I Want For Christmas

**Chapter Seven**

* * *

 **November 13th, 1972**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

"Mandrake, Mandrake, bloody screech of a plant has disappeared. Where could the stupid recipe be?" Hermione mumbled under her breath, her finger scanning the potions ingredients list as she flipped page after musty page in search of the right one. "Here's one, Mandrake and Aconite but no Burdock Root or Holy Thistle."

She slammed the cover shut with a groan, once again finding the contents of the potions book empty for the recipe she was looking for, there were only basic ideas and theories that no one ever cared enough to expand. Her head made a small _thump_ when her forehead hit the cover before she lifted it and slammed it back down with a groan. All Hermione wanted was some properly written direction of how to brew Wolfsbane, was that too much to ask for?

"If you're looking for a root based potion," A voice drawled from behind her and Hermione spun to face the dark-haired boy leaning against the shelf. "I would suggest looking in one of the Earth Elemental volumes."

"Where can I find those, if you don't mind telling me?" she asked him. Her brow furrowed when she couldn't think of the answer herself.

"Do I look like a library catalogue to you, McGonagall? Ask Pince, it's what she's there for." Hermione bit down on the urge to remind him that he had, in fact, been the one to push her towards those particular volumes in the first place and it was the least he could do.

"Thank you for the idea, Severus." Hermione said. Snape humphed in reply and Hermione rolled her green eyes without him noticing. When he turned to walk away, Hermione stepped away from her own table to follow him through the shelves. "What are you looking for so earnestly, if I might ask?"

"Resource for the Herbology essay, hence why I'm in this section." Snape said, in a voice that clearly told her she was an annoyance for him. "What are you researching for thoroughly?" Snape nodded to the stack of discarded books on the table behind her, humouring her. "I can't recall Mandrake or Thistle Root being on the list of plants Professor Sprout assigned."

"It isn't for a class, more of a personal endeavor for a potion." She blinked when Snape snorted. "Nothing too interesting, just an old home remedy I'm trying to improve."

"How riveting," he said, although Hermione could tell he was anything but interested. Snape ran his fingers over the spines of the books lining the shelves. He glanced back towards her with an arched brow and a curious glint in his eye. "Something involving Aconite and Mandrake? Are you looking into a type of poison perhaps?"

Hermione bristled under his gaze, "Acontine is known for its positive effects in the cardiovascular system. I could be working on a healing potion or even a cure for the muggle common cold, why do you assume the worst?"

"People tend to do the worst." he said, eyes locked on the window sill behind her.

Hermione's eyebrow pinched, "That's a pretty terrible way to live your life, always assuming such terrible things about everyone."

"Well earned assumption, I assure you, McGonagall." Severus crossed his arms, staring behind her with a blank expression. She followed his glaring towards her school bag and Hermione's discarded Gryffindor tie. The red and yellow looking starkly out of place on the plain wood of the library table.

"Either way, thank you for the suggestion, Severus." Before she could finish thanking him, Snape had turned his back and strolled between the cherry wood shelves, a standardized Potions book tucked under his arm. Rather an odd thing for a second year to carry around, but Hermione knew what the margins between text would be filled with soon.

He didn't acknowledge her as he disappeared through the mountain of unorganized books Madam Pince had put out on several tables leading to the double doors. Hermione poked her head towards the front desk in search of Madam Pince.

It was difficult for her to see Snape as more than the bullying professor she had known in her life thus far. It didn't help that even as a child, Snape's tone was bland and his attitude demeaning to whoever he spoke down to. It reminded her, quiet unpleasantly, of her time as his student. Sometimes when they were in Potions she could still hear his deadpanned drawl as he explained why her potion wasn't perfect. On the occasional day when she would have a runin with Snape, Hermione would gently run her tongue over her front teeth and cringe, remembering the way he had sneered ' _I see no difference_ ' after Draco enlarged them.

But just as often as the thoughts had come, Hermione pushed them out again. Severus Snape was a second year still, not the frigid and lonely Potions Master she knew from before. He was nasty to others by nature but he wasn't unnecessarily cruel like he had been in her time. She would separate the two versions of Snape she had in her head, if only to give him a fair chance for a better future than the one she had seen.

Hermione found the desk empty, save for a few dozen books that were magically being marked by a floating quill and flew through the air towards their shelves. "Madam Pince?"

A head appeared from beneath the desk, several broken quills stuck in her messy hair and a bright blue ink stain on her blouse. Madam Pince's eyes were heavy with purple bags and Hermione thought it must be very difficult sorting through all the books students left lying around this time of year, even with magic at her disposal.

"Yes, can I help you with something, dear?" she replied in a hushed whisper.

"I was wondering where I could find one of the Earth Elemental Volumes?"

"That is a very rare title, I'm not supposed to let students check it out without express permission from their head of House or the Headmistress." Hermione sighed, resigned to return to her frivolous search in the herbology section. "But, I suppose as the headmistress' niece and a great patron to the library, I could lend it to you for a bit."

"Really?" Hermione grinned widely.

Pince tapped her wand against a cabinet hidden in the corner of her desk, reaching inside to pull out a vine green hardcover text with leather leaves wrapped around the spine. "Please return it in the same condition."

"Of course!" Hermione carefully hugged the book to her chest and grinned at the librarian. "Thank you, Madam Pince."

She headed back towards her table, suddenly in a hopeful mood. Hermione's fingers gently ran along the edge of the book, feeling lighter the more she thought about finding a way to help Remus during his full moon transformations.

Hermione placed the book next to her school bag before turning towards the other volumes she had looked through in her quest for answers, she flicked her want over them and watched as they followed after her. No matter how much magic had been in her life, Hermione was still awed by how simple things became with a flick of one's wrist.

Shelving the books quickly, Hermione turned back towards her small table before she stumbled forward, barely catching herself on a hanging shelf. The beratement was on the tip of her tongue before she glanced down, noticing the peacefully sleeping boy nestled between the shelves for the first time.

Sirius was snoring under his breath, not loud enough to draw attention to himself but soundly enough for Hermione to hear this close. She nudged him with her foot but the boy didn't stir, she knelt to his level and shook his shoulder.

"Go 'way, Jamie." His hand swatted at her and he shifted further into the wood. "It's Sunday, leave me alone." Sirius muttered.

"First of all, it's Monday." Sirius' eyes snapped opened when he didn't hear James' voice. "Second, you're asleep in the library, not the common room."

"Hey, I know you, you're-" With a roll of her eyes, Hermione righted herself and picked up speed towards her things. Noticing Sirius quickly sit up from the ground and follow behind her in a steady pace. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To study, Black, we're in a _library_. That's what people do when they're in a library." Hermione said pointedly, flicking her eyes to his nook with a pointed glare.

"For your information, Miss McGonagall," he stressed, his nose stuck in the air obnoxiously. "I was hiding. If Filch catches me I'll definitely find myself in the Slytherin dungeon, hanging by my thumbs."

"No doubt well deserved from one of your terrible pranks." Hermione sat at the head of the, now, cleared table.

"Terrible?" he gasped. "I'll have you know, I am an expert. And much beloved."

"That's a word for it," Hermione mumbled. "In what exactly are you an expert?" she asked, an unwilling smile playing on her lips.

Sirius sat himself in front of Hermione, folding his hands on top of the Elemental Volume. "In most everything. _Especially_ pranks."

"I'm sure you, Potter and Lupin have had a very educational two years." Hermione jerked the book from under him, causing Sirius' arms to slam suddenly against the wood. "That does not make you an expert, now run along, I have to research something."

Sirius rubbed his arms and studied the book Hermione protectively on the table in front of her. "And what would that be?"

"None of your business." she said.

Sirius' lips turned down and his eyebrows scrunched in thought, "You're a very mysterious person, Hermione."

"How so?"

"You knew Remus' secret, you saved us that night and you didn't look the least bit surprised." He said, done playing word chest with her. "But you haven't talked to us since. Outside of cordial good mornings in lessons and polite half-answers, you always ignore us."

Hermione rolled her eyes heavensward, a touch of nervousness creeping in. "You're being ridiculous, you know my aunt is the Headmistress-"

"And I don't believe that she would tell anyone about Remus' furry little problem, even if you are her niece," Sirius interrupted, a glint of determination coming into his steel grey eyes.

"What's your point?" she asked, her heart pounding in her chest.

"My point is that you should talk to Remus about his condition. He's scared that you knowing means you hate him and, by extension, Harry as well. Despite the fact that James, Peter and I know too and haven't gone about chasing him with pitchforks and torches." Sirius insisted hotly, Hermione was almost sure that if this were a muggle cartoon, steam would be rising out of his ears. "He's a sensitive bloke."

"I don't hate him. Everything else is quite complicated," she relented softly.

"What isn't, nowadays?" he snorted. "All I'm saying is that no matter how you knew about it, it isn't very fair to keep Remus anxious about your feelings on it."

"I don't hate him and neither does my brother, if that's what he thinks." she said again. Although Hermione knew that was exactly what Remus must be thinking. "I just don't know how to talk to him, or you for that matter."

"Why?" Sirius wanted to know, clearly confused with her withdrawn attitude towards him. She seemed to appear once in a while, splash waves in his life and then turn around and pretend like nothing had happened. "Is it the fame? Do we make you nervous?"

"Something about you certainly does, now would you mind? I really need to finish this." Hermione snapped unintentionally.

"Okay, but if you don't talk to him about this soon, I will be back here to bother you until you come to your senses." Sirius stood up, his chair scraping the floor as it slid back. "No matter how much you avoid me, I'm persistent when I want something."

"I'm not avoiding anything," she uselessly denied.

"Then what would you call this?" he gestured to her closed off posture as she slouched in the chair, still holding her book to her chest like a shield.

Hermione's face reddened, "I have selective company."

"Just you and your brother?" Sirius grinned. "I'm certain that I'm much better company."

"Is that Filch?" Hermione shouted, rather guiltily, drawing the attention of the depraved old man who had just entered the library in search of the troublemaker, his mangy cat stalking closely at his heels.

"What? Where?" Sirius twisted towards the door sharply, spotting Filch and turning back to his tablemate. "Hide me, I'll give you anything."

Hermione gasped, dramatically grabbing her chest. "Is _the_ Sirius Black asking for my help? How could I, a lowly mortal, help the _great_ Sirius Black?" she called out, earning a look from Madam Pince and a glare from Sirius.

Filch heard the commotion and turned to their table. Sirius panicked as the caretaker began walking towards them. "Blast you, McGonagall!"

Hermione watched Sirius bolt between the shelves, bringing her head back to the table in a hit that would certainly bring a headache. "I am fortune's fool."

* * *

 **December 6th, 1972**

 **~Harry McGonagall~**

Their second Christmas in the 70's was coming up, and after not being in the right state of mind to celebrate last year, Harry wanted to do something special for Hermione. He wanted to get her something memorable but not a present that would remind her of their past home and make her depressed because they had no way of getting back.

Harry was distracted as he walked towards Minerva's office, he had been meaning to find time and ask for a favour for awhile now but it was hard to find time when Hermione didn't need him- to bring her food, remind her to sleep and keep her company in general. Now that his best friend had dove head first into researching the potion for Remus at the library for all hours, Harry finally had some time to sneak away and talk with Minerva.

"Aunt Min?" Harry called out as he stepped into Minerva's office without knocking, startling the woman marking papers at her desk. Harry cringed when she jumped and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's alright, I was lost in my work and I've apparently missed breakfast already," she said with a deep breath and glance at the ticking clock next to the door, gesturing for him to sit in one of the plush chairs in front of her desk. "What is it, Harry?"

"I was wondering if I could leave Hogwarts for the afternoon?" he asked.

Minerva's eyes widened, her hands clasped over the papers in front of her as she leaned forward. "You're only a second year! It would be irresponsible of me, as both your guardian and Headmistress, if I let you leave on your own."

"Then could you please find someone to escort me to muggle London?" Harry insisted.

She watched him for a minute, her thin eyebrows furrowed and a tired smile curled the side of her mouth. Harry hadn't realized how exhausted she must be, he had gotten used to seeing her in the classroom but now he could see the toll of being Headmistress weighing on her in this reality. "Why is this so important to you, darling?"

"Hermione is spending the afternoon in the library, researching a potion that will help Remus during his transformations and recovery." Harry explained. "So I had thought that while she's busy, I could get away and buy her a Christmas present from the city."

"Oh, the winter holidays are coming, I had completely put it out of my mind." Minerva sounded startled, before nodding decidedly and glancing towards the clock a final time. "I think this paperwork can wait a few hours until we get back."

"We?"

"I know we haven't spent much time together since you and Hermione arrived, and I'll admit that it is my fault, but I want to make you both feel at home here. Taking my nephew holiday shopping is part of that."

Harry smiled gratefully and nodded, he watched her rise out of her chair and tuck her wand into her robe pocket. "Are you sure? I don't want to take you away from your work."

"It's just some final papers before holidays. Nothing I cannot finish later." Minerva said with an easy smile as she pulled a small key out of a desk drawer. "Best stop off at Gringotts."

"If you're sure," A smile creeped up Harry's face. It was nice to have someone other than Hermione in his little makeshift family. "Okay, we need to change into muggle clothing before we head out, Aunt Min."

She nodded as she grabbed the thick cloak folded over the back of her chair. "Bundle up tight, Harry, the weather hasn't been pleasant as of late and I don't want you getting sick right before Christmas."

They make a quick stop at Minerva's quarters, Harry picking out the clothing he thinks would blend in the best with the muggles, although his sense of style is questionable at best. He thinks it's for the best when the clothing his aunt ends up wearing is mostly neutral colours- like grey and white. The two of them use the floo fireplace in her office, quickly slipping through the gathered crowd in Diagon Alley to the bank and then out of the Leaky Cauldron.

As a half-blood, Minerva had spent time in the muggle world as a young child, but never around the winter holiday. It was entertaining to Harry, watching her walk somewhat wide-eyed between the decorated shop windows and jolly Santa impersonators ringing bright red bells at pedestrians. The last time they had visited muggle London had been over the summer, when he and Hermione had asked for more clothing to wear outside of lessons.

"Do you feel more at home here?" Minerva gestured to a mother leading her small child by the hand into a candy store. Harry bit his lip as he watched the bright colours swirl over the large selection of muggle candy on display.

"No, I never felt at home anywhere but Hogwarts. It was the one place I felt close to my parents. When I was a baby, after they died, I was taken to my muggle aunt and her pig of a husband. They weren't the nicest of people and they made living in the muggle world terrible."

"Did they hurt you?" his aunt whispered. Harry could hear the quiet threat in her voice, he knew that even though it was an alternate world, Minerva McGonagall would not hesitate to ring on Petunia and Vernon's doorbell in a few years and set them straight.

"A shove, a rough grab, some unfortunate living conditions and favouritism but nothing I couldn't handle." Harry said, trying not to show how uncomfortable he was talking about his first try at a childhood. "It got better after I started attending Hogwarts."

"Define unfortunate living conditions, Harry." Minerva had stopped in front of a small booth for fish and chips. A frown tugging down the corners of her lips.

"I lived in the cupboard under the stairs," Harry muttered into his collar, burrowing his face into his scarf to avoid the biting winds. "When I turned twelve, they let me have Dudley's second bedroom."

"Their son had not one, but _two_ bedrooms and you lived under the stairs for eleven years?" she asked, the disgust written plainly on her face when Harry nodded. She opened her mouth, having a dozen questions sitting at the tip of her tongue, before closing it. "How about we eat something before we start shopping? I missed lunch today."

* * *

 **December 25th, 1972**

Harry sat across from his sister on the floor of their rooms, their aunt reclined on the sofa, sipping on a cup of tea. The Christmas tree standing tall and proud between them, casting a shadow over the pile of presents at their feet, floating magical candles kissed the garlan stained tree and sparkled over the delicate glass ornaments.

A few of the colourfully wrapped presents shuffled and moved and Harry was surprised how natural it seemed for his Christmas presents to almost be alive. He watched Hermione open half a dozen packages filled with old books and manuscripts in languages Harry couldn't name, let alone actually read, from teachers she had charmed. Her second to last gift was a small velvet box, the size of her palm, with an attached note that Harry hadn't seen his aunt place.

The lid popped open and Hermione's eyes went big as she gasped at whatever she found inside, "Aunt Min, you shouldn't have. This is too much!"

"Please, dear," Minerva reached over and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It has been passed down in my family for generations and you're my family. Both of you are."

"Thank you!" Hermione leaned over the small coffee table, contorting her body in an angle that Harry thought had to hurt, to hug their surrogate aunt. "It means a lot to me that you would trust me with something like this."

"What is it?" Harry asked, craning his head in an attempt to see inside the jewelry box.

Hermione crossed her legs and turned the little pink box towards him. Nestled in the fuzzy material was a pin, an elegant silver peacock. The head and body were twisted around a thin needle, a long tail was spread widely around the peacocks body. A vivid shade of seafoam green and robin's egg blue metal feathers curled around the pin. Hermione's fingers traced the delicate lines, her face lit in a serene smile.

Hermione pulled the peacock from the case, playing with the needle in the back as she continued to stare at the gift in her hands. "It's lovely, are you sure?"

"Don't be silly," Their aunt waved her away and turned towards him with a warm, motherly smile on her face. "Harry, you next."

Hermione reached behind the tree, holding a wrapped rectangle by a copper ring. She batted her eyelashes in fake innocence as she set the present in front of his crossed legs. Harry's hands reached out forward before a rustling inside the box made him freeze. His green eyes snapped up, blinking between Hermione and Minerva.

He looked closer at the wrapping paper, taking notice of the evenly spaced notches underneath. Harry ripped the golden paper aside, revealing the snowy white feathers of a yellow-eyed owl. "She's beautiful!"

"I'm quite happy that you like her. Hermione tells me that she looks remarkably like your past familiar." Harry nodded absentmindedly as he peeled away the remaining wrapping, unlatching the cage and cooing at the curious owl inside. Harry held out his hand, the owl gently nipping at his thumb.

"Thank you both so much," Harry said. "I don't know what else to say."

It felt like having a piece of home with him. A piece of the kindly half-giant that had brought him to Diagon Alley so long ago and bought him a birthday gift in the shape of a beautiful owl. Even though Hagrid was still Groundskeeper at Hogwarts, Harry wasn't as close to him in this reality.

"What do you want to name her?"

* * *

 **January 16th, 1973**

 **~Remus Lupin~**

He turns the corner towards the library and paused when he saw the bushy head of the little witch that had been plaguing him for weeks. Hermione was carrying a stack of heavy tomes, puffing hair away from her face as she moved to the library door. Remus hurried to her, cornering her before she could grab onto the handle.

"Hello," Remus sheepishly smiled at his shoes. He waited for her to snatch her arm back in revulsion, maybe snap and call him every slur that he thought of himself. His hand dropped easily from Hermione and he curled his hands around his potions book.

But Hermione didn't shout for help from the werewolf, she simply turned her body fully to face him. "Remus, hello," she said, hefting the books in her arms.

"Oh! Let me." Remus pulled her volumes into his own arms, his eyebrows furrowed in surprise that she was able to carry that much weight for as long as she did. Remus looked down at the series of titles. "Are you working on something?" he asked puzzled.

"Thank you, it's very kind of you." Remus saw Hermione smile kindly from underneath his eyelashes, feet shuffling. "Just a personal project, I had an epiphany about a potion and I thought I should research my theory."

"I've been meaning to talk to you," he started strongly, having practiced when his room was empty. "About what happened last October. About the- about the Shrieking Shack and what you- what you knew about- well, about me and my- my _condition._ " Remus' voice cracked and he was glad that he had something to hold onto as he brutally dug his fingers into the hardcovers. "I want- I mean, I would appreciate it- if you could," his shoulders stayed hunched.

Hermione's hand gripped his shoulder, "Remus."

"I'm sorry," he continued, not caring about the tears and hysteria building. "I could have hurt you- you and Sirius and James and Peter- I could have killed any of you or -Merlin, I could have infected you!"

"Stop!" she hissed. "We will talk about everything when you're ready." Remus opened his mouth to tell her that he was ready, that he's been on edge and waiting to catch her alone for months. "Don't say you're ready because I know you aren't. You look at yourself like you're inhuman and if we were to sit down and talk about everything right now, it wouldn't bring you any ease of mind."

"How do you know?" he whispered.

"Because I knew another werewolf once," she looked away wistfully before letting out a soft laugh. "You're very much like him. He had the same self-loathing and embarrassment when he talked about himself. I know we'll talk about you, Remus, but I also know that you aren't ready to hear everything I have to say to you."

Hermione took her books back, holding her hand to his cheek to lift his face from the ground. She slipped into the library soundlessly and Remus stared at the double doors as they shut behind her and left him in the hallway alone.

Alone, but, strangely, relieved.

* * *

 _To Be Continued..._

* * *

 **What do you think I should name Harry's new owl?**

 **I wanted to say I'm sorry that this is short and a thank you to everyone who has supported me through the loss of my little sister, it means a lot to me that you didn't pressure me into updating or unfollow because of my inactivity these past months. All the reviews and PMs that you've sent me have meant the world to me, and even though I don't feel completely ready to dive into writing again I thought you all deserved a new chapter for how amazing you've been and** **I am back and ready to be on top of this shit. Also, this story is almost at 600 followers?! That's amazing!**

 **Sidenote** **, I recently got back into the Hunger Games fandom and decided to write a story, if anyone is interested go check it out and let me know what you think. It's called _No Strings on Me_!**


	8. Nightmares Tell a Story

**Chapter Eight**

* * *

 **February 14th, 1973**

 **~Sirius Black~**

It had become a habit of his.

Every time Sirius got in trouble with a teacher or had to hide from Filch after a prank, he would sneak through the castle until he found Hermione, usually she was lounging in the library with her face buried in a book. For one, no one would suspect the biggest troublemaker in Hogwarts to be hiding out with Miss-Goody-Two-Shoes McGonagall in the library, of all places. Another reason Sirius liked finding her was because he actually just enjoyed Mya's company. That was where he found himself now, tucked in next to her legs, trying not to sing along to the tune she was humming.

"Why are you hiding underneath the table?" she asked suddenly. Her face appeared a minute later and he could see her start to rub the building headache at her temples when she saw him. "Filch again, Sirius? Or did you pull another mean prank on the Slytherins and need a hiding place from Professor Slughorn?"

"No," he denied before ducking behind her knees to hide quickly as Madam Pince came around a corner. Hermione smiled at the librarian as the older woman patted her shoulder before she passed back to her office. "For your information, Mya, I'm avoiding your aunt this time."

She snorted unladylike before covering her mouth, "What did you do to her?"

"I admit to nothing." Hermione dropped her forehead onto the edge of the tabletop, looking down at him. Sirius leaned forward to look back up at her, intertwining his fingers and resting them on her knees. "I may have, however, accidentally set Lucius Malfoy's robe on fire."

Mischief flickered in her bottle green eyes and she mumbled something about a Quidditch incident in first year. Her fingers landing in his messy black hair and Hermione yanked gently when a knot caught her knuckles. "You say it was accidental but I don't think you mean it. In any case, I don't believe a word you say, Si."

"I've no idea what you mean, My, it was entirely-" Sirius paused when Hermione continued to weave her fingers through his hair with a grin on her face, staring at him in amusement. "It was on purpose. It was, I did it all on purpose."

"What did he do, then?" she asked lightly, her nails scraping over his scalp.

Sirius craned his head to the side, exposing the side of his head to Hermione so she could scratch behind his ear. She laughed when he turned even further into her hand and sighed contently into her bare knees.

"He's dating my cousin, Narcissa, right?" Hermione nodded. "After the Quidditch game against Slytherin last week, I've seen him creeping around the Gryffindor common room every night after curfew. I know he's waiting for someone and as much as I don't get along with my cousins, Cissa doesn't deserve to be cheated on."

"It was sweet of you to defend Narcissa's honour, Si." Mya pulled out the wand holding his hair out of his face, letting the strands rain down over his eyes. "And how is it that you saw him out and about after curfew in the first place?"

"James and I wanted to celebrate winning the game and Remus is always craving chocolate so we decided to sneak down to the kitchens. And there he was, sitting down the hall and looking like he'd been there for hours." Sirius' mind wandered back into catching Lucius, pale and staring at the Gryffindor common room door longingly.

His hair had still been knotted on the top of his head and he had a purple bruise from where Marlene had accidentally whacked him on the side of his face while chasing a quaffle. His uniform robes were fisted in his hands and he continued pulling the green striped tie nervously between his fingers. His silver eyes were glued to his scuffed Quidditch shoes and he shook his head vehemently, denying something that only he knew.

James had poked Sirius under the Invisibility Cloak and shrugged his shoulders to show his matching confusion. Lucius had still been sitting against the stone wall by the time they got back from the kitchen and Remus had successfully dragged the rest of them into the common room without the Slytherin noticing. But, for the rest of the night, a sleepless Sirius couldn't get Lucius out of his head.

"Who do you think he was waiting for?" she whispered conspiracy. Sirius rolled his eyes at the glint in her eyes, he thought it was kind of cute. "It had to have been an upperclassmen, right? I always see him flirting with the sixth and seventh years."

"You're just an old gossip inside, huh, My?" Sirius asked, grinning. "I don't know but whoever it was never showed up because he hasn't come back since yesterday."

"That, or he ran off and decided not to come back after you set him on fire," Hermione muttered with a little pull on his hair. "It must be the Black in you. It puts you in a unique deposition for trouble and havoc."

He grabbed onto her wandering hands, pulling them gently from his hair. Her fingers wiggled in his hold and Sirius noticed how chilled her skin felt, squeezing her hands between his to try and warm them. "I resent that, My. I happen to be a national treasure."

"Hey, I nurtured you back to health, I'm allowed to insult you."

"I'm pretty sure that's not how friendship works but I've wanted to talk to you about that." Sirius rested their tied hands beneath his chin, looking up at her from his seat under the table. "I really appreciate you taking care of me when I was sick. Being nauseous and feverish and all by myself in the dorms was not fun. Even though I wasn't conscious when I was with you, it was still nice not to be alone."

"You're welcome." Hermione said with a nod. It was simple for her, he could tell. It wasn't about Sirius owing her one, or showing herself in the best light, she was just kind and caring. For some reason, it was directed at him occasionally. "Why are you still under the table?"

Sirius shrugged. "It's oddly comfortable down here."

"I find that difficult to believe."

She was right, of course, his legs had fallen asleep at least four times since Hermione noticed him sitting there. Then again, when wasn't she right?

Sirius crawled from underneath the table, his knees becoming dusted by the library floor. He quickly sat in the chair next to hers and leaned forward to tug an unruly curl from behind her ear. "It was your birthday, too, so spending it taking care of me means a lot."

Hermione's smile revealed a dimple in her left cheek and Sirius liked her scent of lavender and ink. "It wasn't a problem, Sirius, I liked the sugar quills you left."

"You better have, James was cross with me for the entire day because his sugartooth was left unfed." He chuckled when she snorted.

"Hush!" Madam Pince called from her desk when their laughter became too loud.

"Do you want to come back to my common room?" Hermione asked. "I made chocolate biscuits this morning."

* * *

 **~Harry McGonagall~**

Harry left the Room of Requirement an hour later than normal. Since he had to play a novice in class not to raise suspicion, sneaking off into the RoR after lessons and practicing the more advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts spells was a way for him to prepare. He knew the war would be publically starting in the next few years and he couldn't bare to lose any of his friends and family again. Not when he could do something to prevent their loss.

Harry pocketed his wand as he turned the last corner until he reached the portrait to his common room. He waved at the animated figures and glanced around the hall before whispering the password. The painting nodded and stepped aside.

Hermione had been living in the library since that terrible reminder in October that Remus still lived in a state of self hatred and pain. Hopefully having James and Sirius would help him become the good man Harry remembered. He knew there was no cure for lycanthropy but Harry hoped Hermione could find a way to replicate the wolfsbane potion and help Remus manage his condition.

As much as Harry enjoyed his time alone with Hermione and Minerva, he missed spending time with other people- other friends. He wanted to sit down on the overly plush couch in Grimmauld Place and talk to his godfather about anything and everything, but that was a difficult task to accomplish when he wasn't technically born yet. Or even in the right universe. Harry found it painful to be around his family and have them look back with unrecognition.

Granted, he could befriend them but in some ways that would be worse. Having the mother and father he never met know him only as Harry McGonagall, the nephew of the headmistress, was unimaginable for him. Having the godfather he loved and lost know him passingly as a friend from school was a nightmare.

"Hey, Harry." Harry turned sharply towards the familiar voice, his face pale in shock at the sight of his godfather. The younger, alternate reality version that Harry had been avoiding for well over a year. "You alright, mate?"

Harry sat on the edge of his couch, taking in deep breaths through his nose and out through the mouth, just like his Sirius had taught him to avoid panic attacks. In another life. A life that had ended long before his new one here had began. He wasn't the Boy Who Lived anymore, he was just Harry.

And Just Harry could move forward.

"I'm great, just worn out." he said, fingers digging through his tangled hair. There was no real way for him to explain where he had been all day or what he was doing, or why. Worn out seemed like a good enough reason for his ragged appearance.

Sirius looked down at Harry's robes, standard Hogwarts uniform with Gryffindor red. Not a Quidditch uniform like one would expect from Harry. "From what?"

"Hermione gave me homework." Not a lie, it had been her suggestion to start training early for whatever storm they would have to weather. He didn't like what he was doing, telling half-truths and hoping they came out honest enough but the full-truth wasn't an option.

"I did and you'll thank me for it one day." Hermione said as she entered the room, cups of tea balanced on her arm. Harry eyed the cup she held out hesitantly, "Relax, I didn't make it. I'm just the delivery service."

"Thank Merlin for that." Harry mumbled under his breath and Sirius tried to cover his laugh with a loud cough that didn't fool anyone.

"I'm not above sticking your hand in warm water while you're sleeping."

Harry rolled his eyes and took a savoury gulp of tea, humming in appreciation, "You say that as if we don't have cleaning charms."

Sirius snorted, reclining into the couch with a sigh. He looked too comfortable, stretched out with a chipped mug in his hands. "And you say that like you want her to do it."

"It could be a secret desire of mine," Hermione made gagging noises and Sirius looked a little ill when he went to sip his tea before thinking better of it and placing it back on the table. "That didn't come out right."

"No, no, Harry," Sirius waved away his protests. "Please, tell us about this secret desire?"

"I hate both of you," Harry groaned loudly, covering his face with his hands. Hermione chuckled but Sirius stayed quiet next to him. Harry opened his eyes and glanced at the other boy. "Are you okay, Sirius?"

"Why don't you want to be friends with me?" Sirius asked into his cup of cold tea. His grey eyes squinted at a thread sticking out of his sweater. Bitten nails picking at the red strand in earnest. "Or talk to me at all."

"I'm sorry," Harry started. "I-" But he didn't have anywhere to go from there.

What was he supposed to say? Apologize for letting his guilt eat him inside out because a version of Sirius had died for him? Was he supposed to tell Sirius that everytime he looked at him or his parents, who weren't really his parents, he felt like curling up in a corner and crying?

Hermione looked down at her lap in shame and Harry felt the same crawl up his spine and colour his face in a dark blush of regret.

"There's nothing I can say that will make how I've treated you okay, but I would like it if we could try again?" Harry grimaced away while Sirius studied him. He glanced between Harry and Hermione, eyebrows furrowed in thought and his lip gnawed by his teeth.

Harry had allowed his own fears and insecurities about the future he and Hermione came from to come between him and his godfather- no, not his godfather, _Sirius_. He was just Sirius, not his grandfather. For all Harry knew, he could never be born in this alternate reality.

The shame was hot and cut in deep. He waited impatiently for Sirius to decide if he was worth giving one more chance to. And he made himself a promise, if Sirius gave him another chance, he wouldn't waste it.

"I'd like that," Harry felt the weight lift from his shoulders and he smiled gratefully at Sirius, they shared a grin before Sirius turned towards Hermione. "Mya?"

At some point Hermione had wrapped herself in a throw blanket, the only thing sticking out of the fabric were the tips of her toes and her hands as she brought the tea mug to her lips. She looked tired and Harry wondered if she had been forgoing sleep again. "Hm?"

"You're part of the deal right?" he asked cheekily. "We'll be friends, officially?"

"While I don't like being a type of incentive for a deal," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course, we're friends. You'll continue bothering me no matter what I do."

* * *

 **March 14th, 1973**

 **~Hermione McGonagall~**

She felt weightless. Her body was made of feathers and she was floating over the green hills of the Hogwarts grounds, looking down through unseeing eyes. Hermione looked down to her legs, finding nothing but air where her limbs should be. But her mind was calm, there was no panic, just curiosity. There was a fuzziness around her vision and Hermione wondered if this was a dream, but it couldn't be. It all felt so real. The spring breeze kissing her skin, the warm sun setting behind the tops of the trees and the sound of deep and genuine laughter coming from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Hermione turned her eyes to the boisterous group of boys wrestling on the ground. She followed their incoherent voices until she could see them better. The unruly black hair gave away James immediately, the boy tossed his head back and laughed, a drunken flush over his cheeks. Remus and Sirius were singing a flat toned version of happy birthday and Peter was hugging a bottle of alcohol to his chest like a teddy bear.

 _Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

There was scattered food across a disheveled, checkered blanket. James climbs on top of the picnic table, kicking over a bowl of cherry pits. The other three boys looked up at him from the ground, Hermione walked around him.

"I, James Potter, am completely in love with Lily Evans!" he shouted, arms spread out like he was about to take off in flight. "I will marry that bloody witch if it's the last thing I do!"

"If she ever gives you the time of day!" Sirius joked.

"She will!" James nodded seriously. "Because we're soulmates."

A bread roll hit James in the shoulder, shocking James. Hermione followed the second to a grinning Remus, Sirius practically choking on his laughter, a bright toothy smile on his face. In the back of her head, Hermione thought he had quite a lovely smile.

A chill licked at her back and Hermione turned at the sound of Harry's serious voice, "You think he's coming for Remus, don't you?"

She snapped her head back towards Remus, finding the small celebration gone and the Forbidden Forest dark and cold. The ground dropped out from underneath her and she could see the shadow of the whomping willow looming over her ghostly figure.

"I don't like the idea of killing anyone," her own voice answered Harry. Hermione felt anxiety weasel its way into her chest, ice dripping down as the words echoed in her ears.

Then all the noise falls away, slipping away from her like water through her fingertips. A serene quiet drops over her and a room of mirrors crawled out from the ground. Hermione recognized the room from her days in Dumbledore's Army, with Harry teaching them how to fight for their lives because nobody else would.

 _Tick, tock. Tick, tock._

She spotted her jacket thrown over one of the chairs in the corner of the room. Corporeal Hermione was standing in the centre of the room, her shirt untucked and her tie loose, wand held loosely in her hand. Sirius was standing in front of her, an older Sirius than the one she had seen just moments ago. She was saying something that ghostly Hermione couldn't hear.

"Think of something happy, eh Mya?" Sirius asked, grinning wolfishly. But despite his outwardly confidence, there was a nervousness in his voice and shining in his eyes that Hermione couldn't remember ever seeing.

Not in this reality or in her last. He had always been on overly confident person. As a child and the older man she had known before. But this Sirius, teenage Sirius, looked anxious and she was curious to see what about. She saw herself open her mouth to answer Sirius, but before she could hear the response, the room blurred.

A loud beeping echoed around the dissolving room and and it was as if she had been submerged under water. A loud, piercing scream of pain rung out and Hermione covered her ears to try and muffle the sound of the ticking clock under the screams.

Neville appeared, bloody and wearing the same sweater she had seen him in at the Battle of Hogwarts. There was blood running down the side of his face, dark and drying over his eye and dripping onto the torn collar of his shirt. He held the Sword of Gryffindor in his arm, determination etched into his face.

 _Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Time's running out._

That was the last thing she heard before her eyes snapped open with a start.

She was safe, in her bed at the dorm she shared with Harry. And there was nothing wrong. But then why did her head feel like it was filled with lead and her heart with dread?

* * *

 **March 27th, 1973**

 **~James Potter~**

It was his birthday and Lily was actually nice to him at breakfast. Well, nice by Lily standards. Marlene and Alice had hugged him in the hallway before the four boys could enter the Great Hall, both girls kissing his cheeks and laughing off his lighthearted flirting. Lily had stood behind her friends with Frank Longbottom, arms crossed and huffing as the other boy whispered something into her ear.

"Fine," she whispered to Frank and James wondered what she was agreeing to. The thought quickly flew out of his mind when she stepped around her friends and towards him. "Happy birthday, Potter."

"Thank y-" his throat closed around his words, his breath catching in his throat. Lily pushed up onto her toes, fingers digging into his forearm, and her lips brushed against his cheek. James felt the deep red flush cover his face.

He didn't feel when the soft touch of her lips disappeared, but they must have because he could see her walking through the doors towards breakfast. He could still feel the molton heat of her lips on his cheek and Sirius had to elbow him a few times before he turned back to Frank.

Frank was grinning and James had the strong feeling of hugging the other boy. Frank reached over and patted his shoulder. "Happy birthday, mate."

"Thank you." When Frank and the other girls disappeared through the Great Hall doors, James turned towards his friends. His green eyes wide as saucers. "She kissed me, guys, she kissed me," he said in complete awe.

"We saw." James distantly heard Remus tell him. He stared at the closed doors, face still burning in a blush and his fingers touching the skin on his cheek.

"I think you've lost him," a new voice called out and James felt a hand shake him. He turned to where Sirius was standing next to the McGonagall siblings. Sirius was whispering something to Mya, he saw her roll her eyes and shove at Sirius' chest. Harry was looking at him, an expression of nostalgia on his face.

James hadn't really talked to either of the McGonagall siblings outside of pleasantries in the halls or class, but Sirius had talked about them occasionally. Apparently, even as Gryffindors, they were given special privileges and lived in their own dorm. Which didn't seem fair to James but who was he to judge how Headmistress McGonagall treated her niece and nephew?

"Happy birthday," Harry said, and James thought the other boys eyes seemed a familiar shade of green.

"Thanks, mate," they nodded at each other awkwardly before Harry turned back to Remus and asked him about something in Herbology that James couldn't understand. Mya was reaching up cuff Sirius upside the head, leaving his best friend gaping.

"It's your birthday I take it," she joked with a smile and James found himself smiling back. With how often he had spotted Sirius around the little witch, James was starting to think his best friend was smitten with her.

Harry and Remus were talking quietly, Peter was listening and nodding along with whatever they were talking about. "You know, now that you mention it, I think it might be."

Mya laughed, pushing her hair off her shoulder with her hand and James saw Sirius follow the path of her hand. Sirius smiled gently, eyes fixed on her wild hair. James was curious about this, Sirius didn't _like_ girls, he liked _chasing_ girls. "Happy birthday, James."

"I appreciate that, Miss McGonagall."

"Just Mya. Or Hermione, if you're more proper than this one," she shoved her thumb into Sirius' side. Sirius clinged away dramatically and Hermione snorted without turning towards him at all. James could respect that.

"I think we'll get along great, Hermione."

Together they entered the Great Hall and the McGonagall siblings disappeared into the back of the Gryffindor table with a final wave from Hermione. The four boys sat at the front of the table, like usual. When the morning mail came in, James received a big box with a note addressed in his mothers hand. But he was surprised when a white piece of parchment fluttered down between him and Remus with the incoming mail.

He opened his parents note first. James didn't miss the way Sirius' face dropped a little when the long parchment unrolled, covered in fine script from his was wonderfully sweet, filled with love and well wishes. His mother went on to tell him that they would celebrate his birthday as a family when the summer holidays came around and that he should invite his friends. At the end both of his parents signed their love.

The package was filled with sweets (that he'd share with the boys), a few cozy jumpers, a few loose books (that he was sure Remus would enjoy), and a broom cleaning kit. James closed the box happily before turning back towards the mystery note.

 _We wait for the trail at the willow._

James stared at the words printed on the paper in messy, scratched handwriting. He flipped the thin paper several times, searching for a return address or a name. It was plain, white paper with no clue of who had sent it or what it meant.

"What is it?" Remus leaned over his shoulder to read the note. "'We wait for the trail at the willow'? What does that mean?"

Sirius snatched the note out of his hands and read it himself. "It could be the Whomping Willow." he suggested with a shrug before handing it back.

"Mr Potter," Professor Dumbledore stood behind them and James jumped slightly. "May I see that please?"

James handed the note to the old professor and watched his face as he read it, it remained unfazed as he pocketed the note into the sleeve of his robes. "Professor?"

"I'm afraid the Headmistress will want to see this, do not concern yourself." James barely had time to nod before Dumbledore had disappeared out of the Great Hall.

"What do you think that's about?"

"No idea but I'm sure they'll let your parents know if we have something to worry about." Remus pushed their forgotten plates towards them, a clear indication that they should eat before classes began for the day.

"Remus is right," Sirius rolled his eyes. "As usual."

James pushed the note into the back of his mind and shoveled forkfuls of scrambled egg into his mouth, suddenly remembering how hungry he was before the mail had arrived.

By the time classes of the day started, none of the boys thought anything else about the mysterious note they had received that morning, distracted by the sweets in James' gift and the homework Sirius and James had forgotten to do. Remus had been oddly quiet the first lesson but by potions, he had cleared up his mood.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Peter asked while the other three boys tried to huddle under James' invisibility cloak without a limb sticking out or standing on top of each other like stacked cups. Remus was trying to lift Sirius onto his back while Sirius was figuring out how to hide the firewhiskey in his jacket.

"The Forbidden Forest," James absently shot back, thinking about how he could smuggle all three of his friends under one cloak that was clearly meant for one adult, maybe two if they were on the smaller side, not four growning boys.

Peter gulped loudly, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Pete, the scariest thing in the forest will be drinking with us," Sirius wrapped his arm around Remus goodnaturedly. Remus, being used to Sirius' wolf references, wasn't fazed.

The four of them had decided to sneak out two at a time, covered in the cloak. Sirius had charmed one of the Hufflepuff girls into letting him in and out of the kitchens earlier that night and there was a big baskets of fruits and sandwiches, and the sweets from James' mum thrown hazardously onto the bed. Remus and Peter carried the food out together first.

Sirius reclined back onto his bed, staring up at the ceiling. James tapped his foot, waiting for Remus to send the cloak back via one of the kitchen elves.

"What do you want to do after we graduate Hogwarts?" James turned at the sudden question. Sirius sat crossed leg in the centre of his bed.

"Play professional quidditch," James mused. "Or maybe live off of my fortune and travel around the world with Lily." He expected Sirius to snort or call him a lovestruck fool, but his best friend stayed quiet. He was studying his hands with rapt fascination. James moved away from the door, sitting on the edge of the bed. "What about you?"

Sirius' head snapped up, "I'll probably end up with a drinking and gambling problem."

"I wouldn't let that happen to you. What a shit best friend would I be if I let you drink yourself into a blunder?"

"A good one, I'd wager," he grinned.

"So what are you going to do?" James fell backwards onto the mattress. "For real. No bravado, no nothing. What do you want to do with your life?"

"I would want to do something important with my life," he huffed. Staring into the distance, Sirius talked lowly, like he hoped James wouldn't hear him. "Maybe an auror. Fight dark wizards in the day and go home to some pretty witch at night."

"Any specific pretty witch?"

Sirius laughed, somewhat uncomfortably, his head shaking rapidly from side to side. "I'm not like you, I don't have an eternal love for Lily Evans."

"I'd hope not or we'd have a problem." But James felt like there was something Sirius wasn't saying, maybe something the other boy wasn't ready to hear yet. "Why an auror?"

"There's too much darkness in the world, too many people pretending to be better than they are." he whispered, almost too quietly. "I want to make a difference. How stupid does that make me sound?"

"Not a bit," before Sirius could answer, one of the house elves popped in with the invisibility cloak clutched in his little hand.

The boys jumped up and off the bed, rushing towards the shaking elf. James took the cloak with a muttered 'thank you' and tossing it over his shoulders. Sirius huddled into his side and James flung the other side of the cloak over him. Together they snuck down the dorm stairs, past the napping Gryffindors in the commonroom and out into the empty hallway. It was almost curfew and it wouldn't do to get detention on his birthday.

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **It's kind of amazing how long this story has gone on. When I started this I was a junior in high school and now I'm a freshman in university, in another country. So I guess life does go on and you don't notice how long it's been.**

 **This is months overdue but... Game of Thrones season 8 made me want to explode. DD really said** _'fuck the characters_ **' huh? At least Gendry survived, my only favourite character who survived, I love that non-problematic stubborn bull. Can't believe they ruined Gendrya and killed Arya off screen. The good news is that I bitterly wrote a bunch of Gendry stories, check those out on my Archive of Our Own (Slytherin_Princess_Nysa) if you're interested.**

 **Shoutout to Jentrophy for suggesting the name Camilla and to all 600 of you for following!**


	9. Traditions

**Chapter Nine**

* * *

 **March 27th, 1973**

 **~James Potter~**

The two of them made it out of Hogwarts in record time, faster than what James would have thought, James was almost impressed at how quickly they make it past the Hogwarts grounds and to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Peter and Remus had set up a big checkered blanket on the ground, the basket of food and sweets in the centre. James and Sirius shrugged the cloak off with a sigh and stomped the rest of the way up the small hill.

"Finally! We thought you'd gotten caught," Remus called as James sat down in front of the basket and Sirius pulled the alcohol out with a shake.

Sirius snorted, "The Great Sirius Black doesn't get caught."

"You've been to detention more than the three of us combined." Remus deadpanned, pointing between them, settling on the birthday boy. "Granted the majority of those come from James but the point still stands."

"Hey! It's my birthday, don't verbally abuse me like that today, Remus." Sirius leaned over and punch his shoulder as hard as he could, sending James falling backwards. "That wasn't permission to be physically abusive instead, Si!"

"You didn't specify." Sirius shrugged. "My mistake for thinking you could take it."

"I can take it, I just didn't think I would have to today," James pouted as Sirius popped the top off the bottle in his lap. James' eyes glazed off into the distance. "Lily kissed me today."

"We know," Sirius snorted. "We all saw that dopey look on your face."

"Are you sure you did?" Remus raised his eyebrows in question. "Because I saw you looking at a certain Headmistress' niece. What earned Miss Hermione that smitten look?" Remus fell backwards with a laugh from the cork hitting his forehead point blank.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Moony." Sirius picked at the label on the bottle, staring into his lap and the little curls of paper falling on the blanket, next to his leg. "Mya is just my friend. Just like her brother, Harry, is."

"I don't remember you looking at Harry with-" Remus pursed his lips and widened his eyes, blinking up at Sirius with adoring innocence. James laughed around a bite of apple. "Puppy-love eyes."

"It's not puppy anything!" Sirius defended. "She's sweet. But it's not like I want to snog her," he scoffed. "She's no Marlene McKinnon or Emmeline Vance or Lily Evans."

"Watch it, Pads." James warned.

"I think she's rather pretty and she's really nice," Remus sat up from the blanket. "Did you guys know that every month when I missed class because of the full moon, she took notes for me and left them on my desk without a word, ever since I came to Hogwarts?"

"I think you've told us that before when it first started happening," Peter muttered under his breath but none of the other boys paid him any mind.

Sirius looked impressed and James felt a wave of affection for the girl he barely knew. James thought that maybe it was time to truly befriend the McGonagall siblings. Then it hit him like a freight train, she had left notes for Remus after every full moon since first year and she had saved them from Remus when the four of them had first found out about Remus. "How does she know about your furry little problem anyway?"

"I don't know," Remus frowned and Peter reached over to pat his shoulder comfortingly. "Maybe she just noticed when I'm absent and deducted a reason?" he asked hopefully. "Or maybe her aunt told her to take notes for me when I'm out but didn't tell her why I'm gone and she guessed herself?" he descended into hysterics the more answerless questions he asked. "Because she knows what I am but she isn't afraid of me, I don't think, and I don't know why she's nice to me when she knows, why would she? Who would be nice to a monster?"

"You are not a monster!" Sirius snapped. "You just have a medical condition and we are handling it, together, like a team."

James wrapped his arm around Remus' shoulders, pulling him into his side tightly. "Not just a team. We're brothers."

Remus snorted but nuzzled into James for comfort nonetheless. His frown deepened for a moment before he shook his head and turned to James. "How does it feel to be thirteen finally?"

"Taller." James mused and Sirius hid a laugh with a cough. James looked down at Remus with an easy grin. "Although I still look up your nose, Moony."

"I still can't believe James is the youngest," Peter said, stuffing a couple of chocolate bonbons entirely into his mouth in one go. "With how he acts sometimes, you'd think he was either six or forty going on fifty. The only thing that keeps him from accidentally getting himself killed most of the time is his crush on Lily."

"Shut up, Pete." James shoved the other boy's shoulder, sometimes it was beyond him why Peter said things. "Remus is only seventeen days older than me anyways, but I'll beat you next year." he pointed at Remus.

"I'll beat you every year, Jamie. That's how age and birthdays works." Sirius handed them plastic cups filled with liquor and Remus took a hesitant sip.

James took the cup Sirius held out to him. He cringed at the taste and burn in the back of his throat, but he didn't mind the taste entirely. He swallowed the rest of the contents in the cup and held out his cup for Sirius to refill it.

"Go easy there," Remus warned while taking small sips of his own cup.

"I can handle it!" James defended himself, already feeling the fuzzy feeling growing in his stomach, even as he gulped down half of the glass in his hand. A bubble of happiness was growing behind his eyes and James smiled doppily.

"James, seriously," Peter tried to reason with him as he looked worriedly at James' rapidly emptying cup. "You'll end up throwing up all over our dorm."

"No, I won't!" He stood up from the blanket and spread his arms wide, like a bird trying to take flight. The other boys laughed and James stomped his feet. "I'm a Potter and a Marauder! We can hold out firewhiskey!"

"How would you know that Marauders can hold their liquor when none of us have really drank before?" Sirius fell back onto the blanket and cackled, cupping his hands over his mouth and he yelled up at James.

"Intuition!" James screamed back, waving his arms around wildly. "And none of you have sang me happy birthday yet! What kind of friends are you lot? I would never do you wrong like this, Paddy." James' lip trembled.

Sirius rolled his eyes and handed the bottle over to Peter, and perching up and onto his knees he cleared his throat dramatically. "Gentlemen I have a special performance planned for our dear Mr Potter."

Peter clapped and shouted encouragement as he hugged the bottle to his chest. Remus snorted as Sirius began screaming something akin to a happy birthday song. James clapped giddily, like a first year.

"Happy birthday, my dear Prongsie!" he screamed at the top of his lungs and Remus reluctantly joined in. Sirius yanked Remus up by his wrist and pulled him into his side, arm thrown over his shoulders. "Happy birthday!"

The two of them sang one flat toned verse after the other, passing the firewhiskey bottle back and forth, watching the liquid until it had all disappeared. Peter drew the bottle back into his chest, clutching it tightly while James shoved bits of fruit into his mouth.

"I, James Potter, am completely in love with Lily Evans!" he shouted, flapping his arms around like a madman and Sirius cackled loudly at his best friend. "I will marry that bloody witch if it's the last thing I do!"

"If she ever gives you the time of day!" Sirius flopped back down onto the blanket.

"She will!" James nodded seriously, not bothering to accept any other excuses for why it might possibly not happen. "Because we're soulmates." he sighed.

Suddenly there was a pop, a hiccup and all the boys jolted. Peter was sitting with the neck of the bottle in his hand and his crossed legs covered in broken glass. He hiccuped again and the bottle of juice they had from the kitchens exploded, covering the grass in yellow.

"Well, that's not ideal." Sirius deadpanned.

Peter breathed in harshly, readying for another hiccup, but Remus slapped his hand over his mouth. All the boys burst into laughter and James couldn't remember such a happy ache taking root in his stomach before.

Deep in the Forbidden Forest, a pair of yellow eyes stalked them through the bushes. He watched the four boys try to use magic to clean up the mess and drunkenly fail. The animals around him scattered in fear, leaving him alone to watch them.

He inhaled deeply, the scent filling his nose and a wicked grin stretching his scarred face.

* * *

 **April 8th, 1973**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

Hermione sat in her regular chair in the library. A book propped on her knees and her legs crossed on the chair next to her. She was reading one of the herbology books from the restricted section, Aunt Minnie had given her a pass for the section and Madam Pince was comfortable enough to leave the key and entrance spell with Hermione while she left for lunch.

It was easier to find resources on Wolfsbane when she realized Wolfbane was another name for Aconite and Monkswood, one of the deadliest poisonous and thus would be kept in the restricted section of the library. Hermione wished the subjected had been covered in Herbology better, either her first time through Hogwarts or this time, so she wouldn't have wasted so much time looking through the regular herbology section in the library.

"Hermione?" she lifted her head when she spotted the nervous boy standing over her. "Mind if I sit here?" he pointed at the empty seat in front of her.

"You don't have to ask, Remus, you're always welcome." she smiled gently and her eyes dropped back to the section she was reading about where wolfsbane could be found.

Apparently Aconite primarily grew on windy mountain areas in Europe, Asia and North America. More specifically, it grew along streams and in damp and shady places. Hermione wondered if there was a way to convince her aunt to let her skip around mountain tops in England looking for poison any time soon. Her eyebrows rose at the next paragraph, this perennial plant can be grown in gardens for many years, usually between three and ten. Surely that would make it useful for Remus' potions.

"What's so interesting in-" Remus turned his head to read the title of her book. "Advanced Herbology: Obscure Plants and Where to Find Them?"

"What do you mean?" she places the book down on the table and looks at Remus curiously. "It's just a bit of light reading."

Another boy would have laughed at her calling it light, she glanced down at the thick tome. But Remus read just as much as she did and it was nice having someone who knew the torture of everyone thinking you were a snotty bookworm.

Remus nodded towards her book, an affectionate smile on his face.

"I've been asking you questions about Professor Dumbledore's transfiguration essay for the last half an hour, you've completely focused on your reading."

Hermione smiled sheepishly and smoothed out the pages, despite the lack of wrinkles there. "Oh, I suppose I get absorbed in my reading quite a bit. I'm sorry. What were you asking about the essay?"

"How many research sources did Dumbledore want? I've only got seven so far." He rolled out his essay scroll and pointed at the bottom where he had neatly written them out.

"I think he said three," Hermione laughed and Remus blushed. "But I'm sure he'll be more than alright with seven, perhaps you'll get extra credit for them."

"Is Remus being an overachiever again?" Sirius popped up from behind one of the stacks.

Sirius lifted Hermione's feet off the seat, plopped himself down and pulled them back into his lap. Hermione shifted slightly at the tickling sensation. "He might have been. And what were you doing hiding in the library?"

"Looking for a book, of course, Mya. What else does one do in the library?" he asked innocently enough, but Hermione didn't believe him for a moment.

"Knowing you, Pads, you've been trying to seduce the librarian." Remus said with a shake of his head and Hermione grinned at the two of them.

"I don't know of what you speak of, Moons. And you have no proof of anything." Sirius denied vehemently. Hermione cleared her throat. "Yes, love?"

"I think I found some proof." she pointed at the girl ducking out from behind the same shelf Sirius had come out of and Sirius' mouth popped over. She was a fourth year Ravenclaw, Hermione recognized her from the Great Hall. Except she couldn't remember ever seeing her with her hair pulled and knotted, her tie undone and the top buttons of her shirt unbuttoned.

"It's not, you see, because Remus was trying to prove I was going after Pince and that," he pointed at the Ravenclaw as she disappeared through the library doors. "Is not Madam Pince."

"My mistake," Remus drawled, reading his essay instead of paying Sirius any more attention, no doubt for the tenth time. "I should have theorized it was anyone hiding with you back there and not specified."

"You'll learn your lesson for next time then," Remus just shook his head and continued his proofreading. Hermione followed his lead and returned her attention to the book in her hands. Sirius leaned in, "Why are you researching poisonous plants? Gotten sick of me already?"

Hermione pulled the book to her chest, and pushed Sirius back with a hand to his chest. "If I had, I wouldn't use something as traceable as a rare poison that I would have to grow myself. I'd make it look like an accident." she whispered threateningly.

Sirius gulped, "Really, My, why are you looking that stuff up?"

Thinking quick on her feet, Hermione said, "It's some research for my Aunt. She said she's looking into some mysterious potion and needs specific ingredients for it. She won't tell me everything but I have a feeling it's something very important."

"I'm sure she appreciates your help," Remus said, distracted but trusting. Hermione turned to Sirius, he didn't look convinced and Hermione tried to look innocent enough.

He crossed his arms and reclined on his chair, "So this research, does it have anything to do with all the other research you've been doing in the restricted section?"

"How do you know about that?"

"I've been around the library," he said and Hermione could guess exactly what he had been doing at the time. "I constantly see you going off into the restricted section and you want me to think you don't know what you're looking into."

Remus had looked up from his reading, quickly becoming enamoured with the conversation between Sirius and Hermione. He didn't say anything but he raised his eyebrows in question and Hermione felt herself becoming more flustered by the minute.

"I do just bits and pieces of research for her, if you knew anything about creating a new potion you'd know that it takes more than one thing to get it right!" she closed the book with a slam and pulled her feet out of his lap.

"Right," Sirius said slowly, returning her look of disdain. "Like I would believe that. There's something strange with you Hermione McGonagall, and I'm going to find out what that is. Or have you forgotten that I already know some secrets about you."

She stiffened, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Whatever you say, Hermione." she cringed, this was the first time he had called her that in a long time, maybe even since their first meeting.

Hermione blinked and sighed deeply. "If this is how you're going to act, Sirius Black, then you can sit here alone!" she glanced at Remus. "With Remus!"

She picked up her books, packing them into her bag hazardously. She pushed her chair in roughly and stomped away from the table. Hiking her bag up her shoulder, Hermione marched out of the library, momentarily debating slamming the heavy double doors before thinking better of it and deciding not to disturb the other people in the library.

She heard footsteps rushing towards her and she expected Remus to come apologizing for Sirius, but it was Sirius' voice that called out to her. "Hermione! Hermione wait!"

She continued walking away from him, not in the mood to hear anything else from him. "What do you want, Black?"

He reached out, grabbing her arm and pulling her into a stop. Hermione turned to him reluctantly, "Remus said I should apologize to you for what I said."

"Well?" she demanded.

"I said 'should', not that I'm going to." he bit out and Hermione rolled her eyes, trying to pull her arm away from his grip. It was hard enough to hold her but not enough to hurt her.

"Then what do you want!"

"I wanted to tell you that I know there's something wrong with your story," Sirius leaned in, getting uncomfortably close to her. "And I'm going to find out what it is. I protect my friends. I want to consider you a friend, but you keep hiding things and lying to me and everyone else. If you end up being a threat to James and Remus and Peter, I won't hesitate to stop you."

"Would you kill me?" her voice was empty when she asked, looking up at him. Her green eyes meeting his grey ones.

His eyes became wide with panic and his hand loosened on her arm, letting her go. Sirius' mouth opened and shut a few times before he finally stopped, "I wouldn't want to hurt you, Mya. But you are keeping something from me, from all of us. And I want to know what."

Hermione reached up by habit, tucking a dark strand of his hair behind his ear, his eyes following her movements as she rested her hand on his shoulder. "I hope I can tell you everything one day."

Sirius bent forward, reaching out to touch her wrist gently with the tips of his fingers. "When is one day?" she shook her head before turning away and disappearing down the hall.

* * *

 **~Harry McGonagall~**

Harry was sipping a cup of calming tea after a rough Quidditch practice. He was sweaty and he had abandoned his practice jersey on the chair by the unlit fire the moment he had gotten back to the common room. He mindlessly flipped through one of the books he needed for a potions project Slughorn had assigned. Although with his knowledge, it was too easy to pass all his classes without trying already.

The portrait hole opened and Harry looked up with a smile, ready to face Hermione's wrath for stinking up the entire living room. Hermione barreled through the door, slamming it shut behind her and dropping her book bag on the floor.

"I hate this!" she shouted, seemingly at no one.

"Hate what?" he asked cautiously, dropping his feet from their place on the coffee table. It wouldn't do to upset her any further than she already was.

"The lying!" she seethed, advancing on him. "We're lying to everyone here, Harry, even Aunt Minerva doesn't know the full story. Not what we've been through, not who we've lost, and certainly not what we're planning on doing here. She doesn't even know about the potion I'm working on for Remus!"

"Are you thinking about telling someone about-" he gestured between them vaguely. "About us and where we're from and who we really are?"

"No!" she hissed. "Not that Sirius would accept that answer, kept going on and on about me hiding something and how he was going to figure out what it was."

Harry stood up, walking towards her carefully, "Do you think he will?"

"Have you ever known Sirius bloody Black to give up on something?" she touched her wrist subconsciously. "He's literally a dog, in more ways than one," she muttered, "And he's hunting for his next bone. Lucky us, we're the bone."

"You're right, it's not likely that he'll give in," Harry sat back down with a heavy sigh.

"Don't I know it."

"What should we do?" he asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that Sirius isn't going to give up and sooner rather than later, other people are going to start asking questions too." Hermione flopped onto the couch, noticing the jersey on the arm. Taking a sniff of it, she gagged and tossed it away from her. "That's disgusting, Harry. Clean up after yourself. We're almost thirty by now."

"And we're still in our early years in Hogwarts," he joked, picking up the jersey and wordlessly commanding it to go up to his room and into his hamper. "What a shame we are."

"A shame to who? You parents passed years ago, this James and Lily are our age. My parents don't even know who I am," Hermione snorted bitterly, "In two universes! Aunt Minnie loves us and cares for us but she still doesn't know everything, so she can't be there for us."

Her eyes watered and Harry reached over to rest his hand on hers comfortingly. "I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better."

"Can you take away the terrible guilt go away?" Harry shook his head. "I thought so, bloody useless you are." she joked.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the night?" He was hoping she would want to play Wizard's Chess but knew better than to expect it really. "We could do some reading?" he cringed at the question in the end.

She smiled kindly and kissed his cheek, "I'm going to head to bed, I know it's early but I've had a long day and I can't take much more. Sweet dreams, Harry."

"Sleep well," he watched Hermione disappear up the stairs.

He was hungry, but he didn't feel like cooking and wand made food always tasted strange to him. Harry looked down at himself and thought he was clean enough to sneak down to the kitchen and make it back before curfew. Harry walked out of his common room, nodding to the entrance painting before walking off towards the kitchen.

Halfway there he bumped into the last person he thought he would alone on a Sunday, in a deserted hallway. James was pacing up and down the hall, muttering to himself. He was stomping loudly back and forth before he finally noticed Harry.

"Hello, mate," he waved awkwardly before scratching the back of his neck. "It's Harry, right? I don't think we've been properly introduced outside of Quidditch practice."

James held out his hand and Harry stared at it for a beat too long before reaching out to shake it. "Yes, and you're James Potter. It's a pleasure to meet you without balls flying at us. Wait, no, that came out terribly wrong."

James laughed deeply and Harry found himself joining his father. It was so odd, hearing your father's laugh for the first time after so many long years. It was depressing, now that he thought about it, that Harry had spent so long without his parents and when he finally had the chance to meet them he hadn't taken it for years.

James inclined his head to Harry, "Where are you off to this close to curfew?"

"The kitchens for a late night snack. Do you want to come?" he asked more on impulse than anything else, but he found himself hoping that James would agree. If only to spend a few more moments with his father before they separated.

James nodded and they turned quietly, heading towards the kitchens.

"Why don't I see you around?" James suddenly asked curiously, a pinch in his brow.

"What do you mean? We have Quidditch practice and classes together. We see each other around constantly," he averted his eyes. There was a shame burning hot in his stomach at not having met his father sooner than this.

"I mean," James started. "Sirius and Remus talk about your sister quite a lot, and you sometimes too, but you and Hermione are never around when I am. Or Peter actually." James tapped his chin. "Do we smell?"

"Oh, no." Harry quickly denied. His father most certainly did not smell, Pettigrew on the other hand… "I just don't like socializing with people much. I mostly hang around my sister and whenever Sirius catches me."

"You say that like you're a mouse and he's a cat," together they continued to walk towards the kitchen and Harry was enjoying his father's company more and more.

"More like a dog, I've heard," he muttered under his breath.

James turned to him, a brow arched up, "Has he been making glassy eyes at your sister?"

"Not as far as I know, but I've been told I can be quiet oblivious." Harry wondered if Sirius had been trying to snog Hermione, if he had, Harry hadn't noticed and no one had told him of anything. Least of all Hermione.

"I'm going to leave you here, actually," James stopped and said abruptly. "I have to go and pick up Remus from the library, he has a tendency of falling asleep there or forgetting that there's actually a curfew."

"Hermione does the same thing," Harry waved as James went off in the direction of the library with a wave.

Harry wondered if he would truly try to form a friendship with James. Even if it wasn't the relationship he wanted with his father. It was like a cold slap to the face, every time his own father looked at him and didn't see his son.

* * *

 **May 28th, 1973**

 **~Mya McGonagall~**

Hermione kept her eyes on the students who zipped quickly through the halls, practically knocking each other over with excitement as they waited for their summer to start and to be as far away from the nearest professor with an assignment as possible. She had tried to make an effort after October. To be more open and outgoing with the people in this era, after all, it was her time and universe now too.

Sirius was becoming a fixture in her life. He would show up and hide under her skirts at least once a week, she had started to wonder if she had inadvertently become his mother duck. Although Hermione didn't mind him and it was nice to have someone entertain her while she was in the library, but Sirius had a tendency to find her right when she was searching for wolfsbane. If it was anyone else she wouldn't give them the time of day when she was busy, but Sirius was her friend. He had managed to weasel his way in.

She leaned over the balcony to eye the clumps of people gathered in the courtyard, all of them heading towards the train station beyond the lake in a steady flow. Her eyes found the four boys running down the stairs, pearls of laughter bubbling from them. Sirius, James, Remus and Peter had only gotten closer since the full moon months ago. Which was what she had originally heard from their alternate counterparts but having seen an older Professor Lupin change hadn't prepared her for that chilly night in October.

Hearing a twelve year olds bones break and contort savagely into a canine-like structure had been worse than she could imagine. Picking at the sleeve of her cream sweater, Hermione caught Sirius' eye when he glanced up. He waved, catching the attention of the other boys who stared towards her and hesitantly did the same.

A soft smile stretched over her face as she held her hand up in a silent farewell. She had said her own goodbyes earlier that morning. Sirius had played an end of year prank and ended up hiding out from Slughorn and Vector in her common room for over two hours. Harry had been uncomfortable but still sat with the two of them and even held a conversation with Sirius.

Alice Fortescue from Herbology and Marlene McKinnon from Potions had quickly become her friends, at first if only to know someone pleasant in her own House (Sirius did not count as good company). Emmeline Vanity from Slytherin was an interesting surprise. The girl may wear green and silver but she was as pigheaded as any Gryffindor. Hermione and Alice would often joke that they were the only normal ones between their Quidditch mad friends.

Marley and Harry were both on the Gryffindor team and Emma was planning on trying out for her own House team as soon as she was eligible. Alice, like her, had no desire to fall off a broom and break her bones. The three of them usually sat on the bleachers, watching both House practices and finishing essays in advanced while keeping an eye out to make sure no one became injured or killed.

Hermione made a note in her mind to force Harry into talking to the Marauders and Lily more often. Although he was on the same team as his father and godfather, Harry made it almost painful to see him actively avoid them at every turn unless she was with him. It was like the courageous boy from Madam Malkin's at the start of First Year was long gone, but Mya would soon fix that. She would force him to be friends with his family.

She pushed away from the departing sea of children and headed to her aunts office, Hermione thought it was due time to try and recreate the wolfsbane potion for Remus. Or at least contact the man who would successfully make it in the future and speed up his timetable. There was no reason to keep Remus in his state of suffering for years when she could do something about it now.

* * *

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 **I hope you liked this and please let me know what you think is going to happen next! You can find more of my Harry Potter obsession on my Instagram (marauders_instrument) it's all Harry Potter text posts and videos mainly about the Marauders!**

 **One last Game of Thrones thing because I'm still not over it...** _ **Gendrya fucking carried this bullshit season, fight me on that. DD betrayed everything Game of Thrones stood for and who all the characters are. George better be hauling ass in writing the last two books, because this season was actual garbage.**_ _ **I'm just pretending like seasons 5-8 don't exist. But if you want to see good GoT content follow my Instagram (nysa_martell) or my AO3 account (Slytherin_Princess_Nysa) for GoT stories!**_


	10. Grey Eyes

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

 **August 31st, 1973**

 **~Sirius Black~**

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black was a joke.

There was nothing _noble_ about beating your children, something Walburga and Orion were very acquainted with doing when displeased or interrupted by one of their boys. Not both of their children of course, precious Regulus never had a finger laid on him. Because he wasn't a point of shame on their enchanted family tree, unlike his Gryffindor brother.

"Sirius Orion Black! Get back down here now!" His mother's screeching voice followed him up the stairs, wrapped itself around his head and restarted the pounding headache he'd had all summer long. "Are you deaf as well as stupid, boy?! I'm speaking to you!"

Her screams were finally muffled when Sirius slammed the door to his bedroom shut, plastering his back against it as he cradled his bruised arm to his chest. Glancing down, he studied the injured hand. Two of the trembling fingers were bent awkwardly and the blossoming purple around his joints told him enough about their condition.

Sirius grimaced and tried to stretch them before his face contorted in pain as the bones moved uncomfortably against each other. However, he took it as a small consolation that the bones themselves were fully intact, if not attached properly. He really didn't need another trip to St. Mungo's with a new excuse for a broken bone, not to mention that Skele-Gro tasted like repugnant old chalk and left an aftertaste that left a lot to be desired for.

"What happened to your hand this time?" Regulus sat at the edge of his brother's bed, hands wrung on his lap as he studied Sirius. Guilt clear on his young face and Sirius felt like it was his fault for making his brother feel that way.

Even at almost twelve, Regulus was more grown up and had more life experience than most of the older boys Sirius knew. Sirius would give anything for his younger brother to be nothing more than a Second Year who wanted to play Quidditch and send pretty girls notes during boring lectures. And not carry the weight he did on his shoulders.

"Mother dropped a book," The older boy shrugged and took a seat against his headboard, if only to have a rest for his hand on the soft pillows. "Don't look at me like that."

Regulus' head drooped, hair fell over his eyes and he didn't bother to stop Sirius when he used his good hand to reach over and push the messy strands behind his ear.

"Why can't you just stay quiet when she talks?" His pleading eyes sought out his stubborn brothers. "Why can't you just let her talk about whatever she wants and not say anything that gets you into trouble?"

Sirius sighed, scratched uncomfortably at the nape of his neck and tried to avoid Regulus' eyes. "They're my friends, Reg, I'm not going to let my own _mother_ talk that way about them." He spit her unearned title like it was a piece of rotten candy he had chewed on for too long.

"What did she say about them this time?" The younger Black worried his bottom lip and stared intently at his polished shoes.

Sirius felt himself grow angry again just thinking about the awful things she spewed on and on about his friends. The ones she knew about from pureblood Slytherin children who complained about the Black who wouldn't play his role to their parents, who told Walburga and Orion about Sirius' disgusting involvement with inferior people at school.

He lifted his nose in the air, stared down past his duvet and squared his shoulders as he mimicked her tirading tone. " _How can you stomach to associate yourself with those people? James Potter is a blood traitor just like his filthy parents. Remus Lupin is nothing but an undomesticated animal that should be put down instead of being paraded around Hogwarts like a pet for that giant oaf of a gatekeeper! And that Peter Pettigrew-" Sirius huffed like their mother would before he continued in the fake pitch voice. "Nothing but a half blood coward. What of those McGonagall brats too?_ "

Sirius had thought it was strange that his mother knew about Remus' condition at first but he figured that if the devil woman could find out the names of all his friends, she could pull favours at the Ministry to find out information on them.

"What did you say back this time?" Regulus cut him off before Sirius really riled himself up and did something stupid that resulted in more broken bones or hospital trips. "After she finished with her speech about your responsibility and duty as a Black, I mean?"

Sirius' lips pulled into a wide cheshire grin, which visibly made his brother suspicious. "I told her where she could shove her opinions about my friends. That I wouldn't stop hanging around them and that if she knew what was good for her she would keep her mouth shut."

"If you could keep quiet," Regulus tried his feeble reasoning, eyes glued to the bruised hand as he spoke. "Then she wouldn't hurt you anymore. If you just agreed with her out loud."

A bitter laugh bubbled in his throat, "Don't be stupid, Reg. It wouldn't matter to her if I were the perfect son, if I actually believed the rubbish coming out of her prejudice mouth. She would find a reason to punish me."

Regulus drew back, continuing to chew his lip but not contradicting his brother. "Are you excited to go back to Hogwarts?" He said instead, they had been having this conversation the entire break and Sirius could tell that even his younger brother was starting to feel ashamed of how their mother treated him in comparison.

"Of course, I am," Sirius was beyond ready to go back home. He hadn't been able to talk to his friends except a few long letters exchanged between him and James via forbidden owl postage that their mother hadn't caught and destroyed. "What about you? You're about to become a Second Year. Are you going to tryout for the Slytherin Quidditch team?"

Sirius shifted in his seat, trying to hide the painful cringe from moving his hand.

Regulus nodded, face sparked back into happiness when he talked about his favourite sport. "Yes! And I'm going to make it and I'll be a Seeker." He said proudly.

"I've seen you zooming about the backyard all summer, you're fast, but not faster than me." Without their mother noticing, Walburga thought Quidditch was a waste of time and that the only thing her sons should be focusing on is their studies.

"I'm plenty fast!" Regulus defended. "I bet I could beat you if we raced!"

Sirius always enjoyed watching his brother like this because it was a rare time when Walburga wasn't trying to turn the younger boy into a hateful copy of herself. As Regulus continued to bounce around the cardinal and gold room, he passed over Sirius' gear and pointed out certain Quidditch pictures of his brothers first season.

Regulus picked up a picture of James and Sirius on the pitch, arms around each other and grinning after Gryffindor had won the year. His brother gently placed the picture back down and turned to Sirius, "I'm going to be the best Seeker."

"You got something against Chasers, kid?" Sirius jested.

"Better than being a Keeper," The boy said with a smirk that Sirius was proud to say came straight from his influence. Take that, Mother.

"You'll eat those words on day," Regulus stared at his brother in disbelief. "It won't be so easy to write them off as useless in the middle of a game."

They had wrapped Sirius' injured fingers in tight bandage and Regulus had tried to cheer him up by making bad jokes while doing so and Sirius had laughed more out of pity than anything else. That night they magically extended the bed and Regulus slept in Sirius' room, much to the anger of their mother when she found them asleep the next morning.

* * *

 **September 1st, 1973**

It was like being wrapped in warmth and happiness to climb aboard the crowded Hogwarts Express in his Gryffindor robes. Sirius knew he technically didn't have to put on his uniform until the train was well over half way to Hogwarts but wearing the colours always made him feel untroubled, safer than in anything else. Neither of which were necessarily true but the comfort was satisfying all the same.

Sirius had separated from the rest of the Blacks the second his feet hit Platform 9 ¾, he pulled his trunk and near-psychotic owl toward the back of the train where other parents had already dropped off their children's luggage. Afterwards it had been only a few short strides to enter the stuffy train and settle into the Marauders regular compartment.

He was usually the first person in the train compartment, since he always escaped his parents as quickly as possible, but today Sirius was met with a strange sight. Remus sat on the worn leather seats against the chilled window, book in his lap and brown tattered coat blanketing his slumbering shoulders. The boy twitched as his cheek pressed uncomfortably into the glass.

"Remus," Sirius reached over when his friend's face scrunched up and a low whine rumbled in his throat. "Moony, you're okay. I'm here. Wake up, mate." he shook his shoulder.

The moment his hand fell on the werewolf's shoulder, he had tensed and a soft growl fell from his parted and chapped lips. Sirius' grip tightened instinctively on Remus' shoulder. His brown hair stuck across his forehead as he surged up from his slumped position.

The werewolf blinked his weary eyes toward his companion with a scowl that quickly turned into an apologetic look. He scooted up the seat and pulled his coat closer, trying to drive away the chill in the early morning.

"Haven't you heard that you aren't supposed to wake up someone who is having a nightmare?" Sirius shrugged noncommittally because he didn't know, he normally woke up in a cold sweat alone without anyone there to talk to about it or be responsible for waking him.

"Sorry," Remus nodded just as the door slid open and James' grinning face waltzed in.

"What's with the melancholy mood?" The messy haired boy propped his legs over the entire seat and smirked. "Did Sirius start going on about how riviting it is to have one of those no-ink quills that Mya's always using again?"

Sirius gasped, relaxing against the seat. "I was not!"

"It's called a pen, it still has ink, it's just inside the pen and not in a bottle." Peter mumbled, having trailed behind and missed his chance to sit where James' legs were, the plump boy sat next to Sirius. "And he stole it from her when she was studying with Remus."

Sirius was squished between Remus and Peter. With narrowed eyes, Sirius pushed his best mate's limbs off the padded cushion and stretched out next to James. "I did no such thing! She just doesn't know I took it."

"Do you plan on returning it?" James asked.

"Well, no," he frowned and glanced on his bag under Remus' seat, where the muggle pen sat in a side pocket.

"That's called stealing." Remus clarified, bowing down to pluck a book from where it had fallen underside of his seat.

"I'm open to interpretation," Sirius said dismissively. "I _borrowed_ it."

Remus rolled his green eyes heavens way and replied dryly. "Borrowing means you have the intent to return it and permission to take it. Which I'm positive is not the case."

James poked Sirius' thigh with his foot and laughed as his friend tried to swat him away. "How did you get one of them anyways?"

"She left it on a table in the library." The grey eyed boy nodded to himself. "Like Peter said, she was studying with Remus and she forgot it. Was I supposed to leave it there for just anyone else to take?"

"Hermione bent down to pick up a stack of books Sirius knocked over and he swiped it from on top of her Herbology essay." Remus corrected him, his face still buried in the stained pages of his old book. "Then ran away before she could catch him." He added.

"Thanks, Moony." Sirius said into the crook of his arm, trying to avoid the onslaught of laughter from his friends. "Good to see that my blood, sweat and tears have earned me undying loyalty from my friends. So much for man's best friend."

"I'm not the dog, Padfoot."

"Have any of you talked to her about Remus?" The blond boy suddenly asked, having interrupted Sirius before he could say something no doubt all inspiring. "You know about his- uh, his-" Peter stumbled over his words.

"Furry little problem?" James provided with a serious nod. "I haven't. I'm pretty sure the only conversations I've ever had with Hermione were in the tunnel, on the way to the hospital with Remus and when she wished me happy birthday."

Peter nodded, "Same with me, although Hermione didn't really talk to me all that much in the tunnel. Just shouted at us a lot."

"Don't look at me," Remus held up his hands in the international sign of surrender. "I haven't even talked to her about the notes she's taken for me since First Year. Not to mention all the other things she's done for me since then too. We just study together at the library."

Sirius thought about meeting Mya for the first time, she had been such a sweet and innocent looking child. Now it seemed like she knew more about the four of them than they did. "What other things?"

"I wanted to tell you about it over the summer but my parents didn't want me talking about it, they're still pretty upset that you guys found out about me being a-" Remus abandoned the unread volume on his luggage and leaned forward to rest his arms over his knees. "Headmistress McGonagall told them that there's a chance of a workable wolfsbane potion that could help me stay in control during the full moons."

"That's amazing." James said, his face lighting up at the thought of his mate not suffering every month and Sirius felt his enthusiasm. "But what does that have to do with Mya?"

"Hermione came with her aunt to my house. She answered more of my parents questions and knew more about the potion than even McGonagall did. I think she was researching it for me." Remus theorized out loud, his face flushing slightly. "You remember when you questioned her about why she was reading about Aconite, Sirius?"

Sirius nodded, a feeling of unease growing in his stomach, "Yeah?"

"Aconite is one of the main ingredients of the potion," Remus watched him and Sirius dropped his eyes away. Sirius felt horrible for treating Hermione with such untrust.

"But if she was researching it for you then why wouldn't she say that?" he asked feebly.

Remus shrugged and James continued to look between them. "She didn't want to give me false hope if it didn't work."

"Why do you think she does all of this? I mean, we hardly know her and she's done all of these things to help us." James questioned. "Doesn't it strike anyone else as strange?"

"Us?" Peter squeaked.

"You remember Quidditch tryouts last year?" James nodded, urging Sirius to continue. "I was sick but I wanted to go anyway so I could make it on the team. Mya found me in the hallway. It was her birthday and she spent it taking care of me."

Hermione had a nice smile, it was the most common look he saw on her. A smile, whether or not it was always genuine. She was brilliant, if she figured out a new potion to help Remus as a newly third year, he could only imagine what she could do when she was an adult. Hermione wasn't unfortunate looking either, she had pretty eyes and a soft framed face.

Sirius thought about the curly haired witch for another moment too long before he heard Remus' voice draw him out. "Perhaps Hermione is just an intuitive and kind person."

"How come she hasn't helped me somehow?" James asked, mouth downturned in a pout. "I want Hermione McGonagall in my corner too."

Sirius grinned devilishly. "Maybe she's immune to your charms, like Evans?"

"Have any of you seen Lily?" James sighed and Sirius knew the topic of Hermione was long gone. "I saw her getting on the train and she's gotten even prettier than last year."

* * *

 **December 12th, 1973**

"The Boggart," Professor Merrythought said as she calmly walked between the filled desks. "Is classified as a folklore creature. They're almost always malevolent and spiteful, taking the appearance of a person's worst fear. From what we know of their true looks, they're possibly human-like but with very ugly and beastly features."

"That's probably why they disguise themselves," Sirius whispered under his breath.

Frank Longbottom's hand shot up into the air, "Possibly?"

"No one has ever seen a Boggart in its own body since it always takes on the person's fear in a split second." Merrythought looked around at the students, looking for anyone who wasn't paying attention to her lesson. "So, how do you fight one if they feed on your weakness?"

Mya raised her hand and Sirius rolled his eyes, it wasn't a rare day when she had the answers to every question a Professor asked. "The spell ' _Riddikulus_ ', it changes the image they project into a humorous version of itself, thus causing the victims vision of fear to lessen."

"Correct, Miss McGonagall. Five points to Gryffindor." A few of their fellow crimson clad housemates cheered before being hushed by the Defense professor. "What are ways of avoiding being cornered by a Boggart, Mr Black?"

James shifted in his seat uncomfortably as he glanced over to his mate. Sirius was sitting, leaning back against Peter and Remus' table. A bored and uninterested expression twisting Sirius' sharp features.

"Don't wander into Ministry conservatories?" He snickered under his breath. "Or you-"

Harry interrupted before any of Sirius' friends could. "Don't face one alone, multiple minds cause confusion and the Boggart is unable to retain a stable image."

Merrythought nodded, "Correct, Mr McGonagall. But next time let your housemates fail or succeed on their own." The high pitched ring of the class bell sounded and student rose to their feet, quickly collecting their books and heading towards their next class. "Not you, Mr Black. I'll need a minute of your time."

Sirius fell back into the wooden stool with a sigh, watching his friends disappear through the door. James clasped his shoulder good natured as he passed behind him. "Good luck, mate."

"You aren't trying enough." Merrythought said with a small wave of her hand, eyes watching the last of the students speed out of her classroom. Neither taking notice of the lingering girl behind the open door in curiosity.

Sirius scowled, crossed arms clearly showing his defiance against being questioned. "Is that your white-collar opinion, Professor Merrythought?"

"You have such potential to be an amazing and talented wizard but you're throwing it away by not taking your studies seriously." The educator continued as if she hadn't heard his spiteful words. Moving gracefully to her desk. "On the last essay you turned in, you misspelled half the words and didn't cite a single source. If you only applied yourself…"

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind next time you assign an essay." The dark haired boy stood from his desk, the decision to leave made before he finished his sentence. "Citing? Got it."

His feet stopped moving, turned to the door but not stepping through it when he heard her voice call out to him. "What's a Kappas?"

"You need me to teach you something? Hope McGonagall doesn't hear about it or you may be out of a job." Merrythought raised her eyebrows. "I don't know what it is." He said with teeth clenched and fingers curled into the fabric of his grey knit sweater. "Never heard of it."

"Don't take me for a fool." The wrinkles around her eyes deepening as she smiled kindly. Merrythought's white ribbon hair fell past her shoulders and yellow eyes watching his movements like a hunter stalking her prey. "What is a Kappas?"

"I don't-" Sirius turned to meet her intuitive stare. Something about the welcoming warmth settled his nerves. "It's a water demon that feeds on blood and strangles people who are stupid enough to take a dive in its territory."

Galatea nodded, "Correct. What is a Veela?"

Sirius turned on the balls of his feet. A tick in his eyebrow as he smirked. "Semi-human, beautiful women who seduce men that would do anything to get closer to them. If we're going to play this game at least make it a challenge."

The professor intertwined her hands and leaned forward on her desk with a clear provocation on her elder face. "What is an Inferius?"

"It's a-" Sirius froze, cockiness drained out of him at the sudden realization that he had only heard of the creatures in passing. "I guess I should know better than to ask a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to make something harder for me. Was there a point to this?"

"My point, Mr Black, is that you aren't as daft as you like to appear in your classes." Merrythought spoke with a twinge of unrecognition. Sirius couldn't remember the last time someone tried to tell him he had a future as more than a noble Black. She repeated, "If you would apply yourself-"

"Thank you for the lesson but I really should be going now." He interrupted again, feeling a strange knot in his stomach.

Sirius' stride widened as he left the room, shutting the door loudly behind him. A yelp sounded behind him and he spun around to meet the flushed witch. Hermione's tan skin was rose all the way up to her ears and she hid her embarrassment behind a curtain of curly caramel.

"What the bloody hell are you doing hiding behind the DADA door? Were you spying on me?" He snapped, poised to leave her in the lonely hall.

Hermione followed him closely, her hand wrapped around his wrist to stop him from walking away entirely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spy on you! I left my potions book on my desk on accident and I was coming back to get it but didn't want to interrupt you two."

"But you listened anyways!" Sirius was seething with ire. He hated the dark arts, everything in his house was ancient and cursed in some manner and class just reminded him of that. Hermione listening in on the professor telling him off was even more embarrassing. "Why would you do that?"

"Professor Merrythought is right, you do have potential. If you want I can help, teach you things that you don't know or aren't the best in so you can be better in class." Mya offered kindly but in his agitation he couldn't see it as anything more than taunting. Because Hermione McGonagall was better than him at something and she was offering him help.

He yelled, more angry with himself than her. "I don't need you!"

"I was just-" Mya tried.

"Leave me alone, Hermione! We aren't friends! I've talked to you a handful of times a year! Don't presume to know anything about me." Sirius stormed away from her, missing the flash of hurt on her face.

* * *

 **December 15th, 1973**

 _Your father and I are having a special holiday away from London with the rest of the Black family. A family friend is throwing quite a spectacular party for our arrival. Regulus has already been informed of the change in plans. I wish you an adequate Christmas. I have given you an extra amount of galleons for your allowance this month- acquire yourself something of taste._

 _Mother_

Sirius stared, open-mouthed at the slip of parchment in his hands. It wasn't even a full letter, just one of the scraps of extra paper his father had in the corner of his desk so he wouldn't forget anything when it crossed his mind. Glancing up to Regulus as his younger brother unrolled a full parchment. Not for the first time, Sirius realized he was a second thought when it came to his family.

A jolt went through him as his friends shoulder rammed into his jokingly. Instinctively, he left the note face-down on the table. "Sirius, tell Moony I'm right."

"James is right." Sirius said mindlessly, running his fingernails along the rough material of the only letter from his mother in years. Well, a letter that wasn't about how disappointed she was in him and how he should do better to represent the Black family.

"Ha! See, Sirius thinks-" James' face contorted in confusion as he turned abruptly to his best mate in accusation. "You never think I'm right. What's bothering you, Pads?"

Sirius honestly considered telling his friends about his family life constantly, about the bruises, shattered bones, the Unforgivables and the nights spent screaming because he had somehow upset his mother. Especially now that he knew about Remus' monthly condition, it didn't seem fair to keep his jacked up family a secret. Yet there he was, sitting at the Gryffindor table at dinner, with his three best friends none the wiser.

"Just thinking about Mya," He said convincingly, like a trained liar. He glanced down the table where Hermione was sitting next to her brother and Marlene. The three of them were talking between themselves and Sirius couldn't help but wonder if he had come up.

James' eyebrows wiggled suggestively, "Does someone have a little crush on the Headmistress' pretty niece who knows all?"

"I yelled at her the other day after DADA and she hasn't so much as _looked_ at me angrily. It's like she's filled with rainbows and unicorns and it's disturbing the hell out of me." Sirius chugged what was left of his pumpkin juice. "Who does that?"

"It's called being nice, ever heard the term before?" Remus asked.

"It's not just niceness. There's something about her, I can't put my finger on it but Hermione McGonagall is- she's-" Sirius groans loudly and digs his hands into his thick hair. "I don't know how to explain it, but there's just something about her that makes me say stupid things when I'm around her."

His three friends exchanged a loaded look before they began to coo and bat their eyelashes like lovesick idiots, "It's _love_."

"Do you dream about her hair?" Remus added when Sirius looked like he couldn't take anymore. "Do you sleep with her pen tucked under your pillow?"

James practically cackled with glee, "Moony, do you suppose he lays awake at night-"

"Alright, you losers enjoy yourselves," Sirius jolted out of his seat. Flinging his grey sweater off of his lap. "I've got to McGonago."

James snorted, spewing pumpkin juice out of his nose. Remus dove away from the splatter and the student next to him got a shoulder covered in juice.

"See you in the morning!" Peter said before Sirius could flee all the way up to their dorm and hide there until they had left for the holiday. "You're boarding with us early, yeah?"

Sirius nodded vaguely and slipped out of the Great Hall. By the time he had tucked himself into bed, his thoughts were plagued with thoughts of how he hurt Hermione. In his defense he had only turned to look back at Hermione once before the door had closed.

Looking back at it the next morning while sitting trapped between Remus and James, he couldn't determine exactly why he didn't say no the night before. It would have been a lot less dehumanizing if he had just stayed home during the holiday break. Sirius could have stayed wrapped around the warmth of Gryffindor Tower for two weeks, between the plump pillows and heavy crimson blankets.

Instead he would spend it alone in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, with only the house elves to keep him company in the bleak pieces of whatever his holidays would be this year. At least he wouldn't be able to upset his mother this year and without her there he wouldn't make his annual holiday visit to the hospital.

"What's got you looking like someone killed a puppy in front of you?" James questioned next to him, eyebrows raised. "So help me if you say anything about Mya again."

"It's nothing, Jamesie," He taunted. "And I haven't been talking about her that much."

"Sure," Remus uttered. "And I only like reading the sports section in the Prophet."

The messy haired boy laughed at the ridiculous nickname Sirius used when he wanted to annoy him. "Well, I've been thinking-"

"Don't hurt yourself." Remus smiled, still a bit weary from the full moon a few days prior. The werewolf pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Have there been no news of the wolfsbane potion?" Peter said between bites of holiday peppermint bark. "It's been a few months since she came to your house, right?"

"Apparently a few advancements in potency and ingredients used have been made." Remus offered up hopefully. His eyes glinted in the morning light. "Nothing substantial but anything is better than nothing."

"It's progress, mate." The train jerked to a halt. Cheering and awaiting parents waving to their disembarking children. Together they left the confined space, jumping and happily weaving through the groups of reuniting families.

"See you all in 1974!" Remus spotted his mother in the far end of the station. Her boney hands waving to her son and his friends.

One by one the other boys disappeared with their families, leaving Sirius in the draining room with a trunk of his things in his grip. Walking through the brick portal that led to the muggle world, Sirius tried to keep his head down as to not draw unwanted attention. Despite his attempts, several people turned to gawk at the lonely boy moving aimlessly around the columns.

He didn't know how long he wandered, sidestepping clumsy muggles and dragging the luggage with a jammed wheel close behind him- occasionally catching the heel of his shoe. When he caught the same ticketbooth for the third time, Sirius dropped into a nearby bench with an angry groan. His eyes watching the wall of 9 ¾ with growing desperation.

What had he been thinking? Getting on the train when he knew there would be no one waiting for him to go home when he got off. All because he was too ashamed of his family and how they treated him to tell his friends why he would be staying in their dorm.

He could go to 12 Grimmauld Place and spend his vacation reading Quidditch magazines in his bedroom, but then he realized that Kreacher would tell his parents as soon as Sirius' feet hit Black property. Then he would have to deal with Walburga and Orion's anger and that would be the perfect way to end his one man trip.

Sirius felt a shadow fall over him, his eyes flipping up in surprise at the person looming over him and matching his confusing stare.

* * *

 **~James Potter~**

He knew something was wrong the moment they all began to board the Hogwarts Express. Sirius had been acting skittish all night and Regulus was nowhere to be found in the sea of green and silver uniforms boarding the Express.

At first James had considered that maybe Regulus chose to stay at school during the break with his friends rather than his parents, but then wouldn't Sirius do the same given the choice? James didn't want to assume anything about the Black's homelife but there was always something off about the way his friend talked about his family, the way he would flinched lightly away from their play fights.

He had asked Emma Vanity if she knew anything about Regulus' plans for the holidays, despite the odd look Emma had given him, she had answered. Apparently his parents had told him to find different accommodations for the holiday break since they would be somewhere in France with extended Black family members. Before he could ask her anything else, Emmeline had pulled her away for something.

Which had all only left more questions about where Sirius was spending his holiday.

"Are you alright, son?" His father's heavy hand landed on his shoulder and James jumped, startled out of his thoughts. "What's the matter?"

His parents pulled James away from the continued foot traffic, despite the glares sent their way by a group of women who looked to be in a hurry. Skirts of shockingly bright color winding around other, slower pedestrians.

"I was just worried about my friend, is all." The Third Year explained with a flourish of his hands. "Sirius got off the train with us but I don't remember seeing his parents anywhere before we left the platform and his brother stayed at Hogwarts for the break."

"Maybe they were simply late?" Euphemia asked, her lovely face flickered with motherly concern for a boy she had met a handful of times at best. "Perhaps we should go check on him just to be certain. And I'm concerned that his brother stayed at school and he didn't."

James and his parents rounded the magical section of the platform twice with no luck, but the young Gryffindor refused to listen to either of his parents when they suggested that Sirius' parents had shown up and taken him home without him seeing. There was a deep feeling of unease building in the pit of his stomach that told him something wasn't right and James listened to his inner voice more often than not when it came to his friends.

He ventured outside into the muggle King's Cross. Sitting there, across from the train lift, on a little curb was Sirius. His normally smug face turned down as he kicked against his trunk. A frown painted over his features like a ripped canvas.

Seeing his friend in such a pitiful state tore at James' heart.

"Come on," He said when he was near enough for his voice to carry.

Sirius' head snapped up towards him and the look of defeat cracked something in James. "Where are you taking me?"

"We're going home." James said, easily maneuvering his mate's trunk away from Sirius' feet and pulling it back towards the exit of the station.

"We're going back to Hogwarts?" James tried not to look too surprised that his friend considered _Hogwarts_ home rather than his family's estate. "You think the express will be able to go back to Hogwarts? I thought there needed to be a special charm cast for the train to run."

Trying to look reassuring, he pushed his glasses up his nose and smiled. "No, my house."

"James, I can't just overstep like that. It's your house and your family and it's the holidays," Sirius shook his head vehemently. "You're my best friend but I don't think I can-"

"Yes, you can and you are. So stop arguing before I get my mother and she stuffs you into her purse." He walked back towards his parents, Sirius following uncertainty behind him.

* * *

 **~Sirius Black~**

At first Sirius thought it would be mortifying, facing James' parents as a glorified stray with luggage. Then James had extinguished the uncomfortable feeling, declaring that his "best mate Sirius would be spending the holiday with them and if they didn't like it then too bad". Sirius couldn't imagine what his mother would have done to him if he had ever said anything of the sort to her, probably skinned him alive and hung him out to bleed out in the front yard as a warning to the neighborhood children.

Euphoria had only laughed and tugged Sirius and James into her sides as she walked to their muggle car. James' father dragging both of the boys trunks. The car was a contraption that Sirius had never been in before and was quite shocked to see another pureblood family carting around in the four-wheeled metal machine.

Mr Potter loaded the boys bags into the trunk and rounded to the driver's seat as the two Gryffindors settled into the back seat. Sirius pulled on the reclining armrest and stared intently at the circular holes in the fabric. He remembered seeing the same cup holders on the armrests in the Hogwarts Express too.

The drive was peaceful, Mrs Potter hummed to the radio as Christmas music drifted around the lemon scented seats. Mr Potter's head lulled against his headrest as he dozed away half way through the ride. Sirius was thankful that the car was magical enough to drive itself.

James leaned over to whisper, taking care not to wake his father, "We'll be there shortly. You can take a nap if you want. I'll wake you up when we get home."

Sirius relaxed as the word _home_ echoed in his head. He didn't think he ever really had one of those before Hogwarts but even that was more temporary. He knew he was expected to live in the Black house with whoever his parents decided to marry him off to as the heir, but Sirius didn't want that. His whole life it felt like nothing was his choice- until today. The day he would always remember as being the stray James took home to his parents.

When they arrived, Sirius was amazed. The Potter manor was larger than the Black house by far, with a large plot of land surrounding it, plenty of room for growing boys to run around and play. Sirius wished he had been born a Potter.

James rushed up the stairs to the front door, pulling Sirius behind him. The doors opened and Sirius expected dark and dreary decoration, like his own house, but that's not what the Potter's home was like. There were windows lining the walls, letting in bright light. The furniture was creamy colours and glass end tables. Sirius tried to picture his mother in the living room but the image was laughable.

Walburga would sneer down on the tasteful room as being too bland for such a rich and pureblood family.

"Our rooms are upstairs, come on!" James yanked his wrist as he runs up the winding staircase and Sirius has no choice but to follow.

"James Potter! Sirius Black! Take your shoes off!" Euphemia shouted up from the door. "I don't want dirty footprints all over my carpets!"

James stopped at the top of the stairs, kicking off his feet and urging Sirius to do the same as he leaned over the railing, "They're off, Mum!"

"Dinner is in an hour!" Fleamont's voice yelled up, muffled through the floor. "Don't make your mother wait on the two of you!"

James pushed Sirius into the bedroom with the bright red door. Sirius could tell it was because of the Gryffindor Quidditch banners and random stacks of folded clothing. James had a habit of folding his jumpers and then leaving them wherever he had. Despite it obviously being James' room, Sirius thought there was a much more homey feel to it than at Hogwarts.

And of course there was, this was James' home.

"You can stay next door, I'm sure dad already popped your trunk in there and the house elves would have already started unfolding your things." James jumped onto the bed, collapsing happily onto the blankets. "It feels good to be home."

"Jamie?" James looked up from where he was ready to fall asleep. "Why did you invite me here, to your home?"

"You're family," he shrugged, like he hadn't just adopted Sirius into his family. "And it didn't seem like you had anywhere to go. Why couldn't you go back to Grimmauld Place or stay in Hogwarts with your brother? Don't you want to see your family?"

"No," he muttered. "I was planning on popping into Grimmauld Place as soon as I figured out how to convince Krecher not to tell my parents that I was alone in Grimmauld Place. Mother doesn't like me being in the house unsupervised."

"Why didn't you stay with your brother?" James asked again, sitting up and crossing his legs. A part of him wondered if James regretted inviting Sirius to stay with them for the holidays but the insecurities quickly went away. He knew and trusted James.

"I was going to but Peter was asking about what I was doing for the holidays. And you and Remus talked about what you were doing over the break with your family." He moved to sit on the desk chair. "I didn't want to tell you guys why I wasn't going home."

"Why didn't you want to go home?" he asked softly.

Sirius shrugged, staring at his feet.

"Mother said to make other arrangements for the holidays and I didn't want to make her angry." James raised his eyebrows, subconsciously nudging him to elaborate. "Mother gets angry a lot. About me being a Gryffindor, about who my friends are, about not being a vile little cockroach like Malfoy or Rosier." he scratched at his pant leg. "About not practicing or showing an initiative in the dark arts."

"Does she hurt you?" Sirius nodded, white hot shame running through him. "That stops now." James bit out harshly. "You aren't just a Black anymore, you're a Potter now too." He stood up from his bed and headed towards the door. "Come along, brother."

That's how Sirius found himself still at the Potters, more than a week later and two days before Christmas, as they frantically tried to finish decorating the Christmas tree. Something that was supposed to be done already but with Fleamont and James pointedly ignoring the work to eat chocolate biscuits all week, it was taking more time than Euphemia could accept.

"Can you hand me the red one, darling?" Mrs Potter pointed at a handcrafted glass ornament, golden paint glazing its sides in a spectacularly Gryffindor-way.

Delicately plucking it from its box, Sirius tried not to drop it as he turned towards her, "Sure, Mum." The bulb almost tumbled fully out of his hands before the flushed boy safely placed it in her hands.

Sirius didn't know what he was expecting as a reaction to his little outburst. The worst part of his mind conjured images of a laughing Potter family or an angry Mrs Potter pushing him through the floo and back into his own grim house. But nothing happened.

She continued hanging the decorations without pause, her husband flicking his fingers through the Daily Prophet as he muttered something about poor scores from the Irish League. James licked the icing off of a sugar biscuit, smearing the blue over his chin.

"James stop acting like a neanderthal and go help your brother hang garland." James grumbled incoherently as he grabbed a handful of soft cookies and headed towards the tree.

"You've only been here a week and you're already the favourite child." Sirius flicked a stray leaf at James, laughing hysterically as it stuck to the icing on the other boys face. James didn't bother pulling it off as he stared at his mate. "You're a monster."

"Are you two going to help me or stand there looking daft?"

James yanked the fake leaf and wiped his chin with his jumper sleeve. "Sorry, Mum."

"Sorry, Mrs-" Sirius began before a stern glare had him correct himself. "Mum."

That night, buried deep underneath a heavy duvet in bed across from James' Sirius chewed on his nails. Fleamont had magically moved the bed from the room next door so the boys wouldn't have to be separated during the night. Something in the gesture provided a much needed comfort to Sirius.

James' room, much like his back in the Black house, was covered in Quidditch gear and torn magazine covers that were glued to the powder walls. A few scattered articles of clothing littered the ground now, a chair against the desk covered in discarded trousers and jumpers. Neither boy really knowing what belonged to who anymore.

"My parents hit me a lot more than I let on," Sirius blurted. His fingers dug into the fabric of the blanket for support. He had never talked about it before with anyone besides the occasional reassurance to Regulus that a bone was healing alright or that a series of bruises had disappeared. He knew that James was aware about his home life since Sirius had come to the Potter house but he hadn't told him anything else. "I get breaks and scars and I'm on a first name basis with the receptionist and healers at St Mungo's."

James didn't say anything and the deafening silence made Sirius that much more uncomfortable. A part of him wondered if he went to sleep, could he pretend like nothing was said tonight in the morning? Would James?

Suddenly there was an added weight next to him on the bed, James shuffled over and relaxed into the sheets, eyes already closed. "They don't know what they were missing out on."

"I don't understand." The dark haired boy whispered, voice shaking and unclear.

"I'm afraid that if you keep talking about what tossers your ingrate biological donors are, I may floo over there and break everything that looks expensive in their rubbish house." James rearranged the pillow under his head to make himself more comfortable. Although, Sirius noticed, the plumping looked more aggressive than necessary. "You're a Potter now, legally or not. They can go bugger themselves."

Sirius grinned up at the ceiling, feeling warm and safe for the first time in what felt like forever. He didn't know when he drifted off to sleep but sometime in the night, his brother's legs had untangled from the blankets and flattened him against the mattress. Despite the crushing sensation on his ribs and scent of sweaty feet- Sirius woke up with the same wide and unflinching beam.

* * *

 _to be continued..._

* * *

 **Alright, I'll be the first to admit that I go overboard when I write Sirius... this is the longest chapter so far.** **I just love my baby boy so much. And I give him the 'screen' time his inner drama queen demands. Because, as we all know, his inner drama queen is just Sirius. I hope the development is coming along great and the older they get, the more I can involve the war plot, death, and relationships.**

 **Follow my Harry Potter instagram if you love the marauders! it's at marauders_instrument**


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